Union minister Jitendra Singh tests positive for COVID-19

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) shakes hands with Indian Minister of State Jitendra Singh upon arriving for an official visit to India, at the Palam Technical airport in New Delhi. Pic/AFP

Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh on Tuesday joined the list of the country's leaders who have contracted the COVID-19 virus.

Confirming it on Twitter, Singh said "I have today tested COVID positive with symptoms. Please get yourself screened if you were in my contact recently and take care."

Over the last few days amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic being witnessed in the country, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rejiju, Chief Ministers of Telangana - K Chandrasekhar Rao, and Uttar Pradesh - Yogi Adityanath, and many others have tested positive.

In the last 24 hours, India reported as many as 2,59,170 new COVID-19 infections and 1,761 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

This has taken the total number of positive cases in the country to 1,53,21,089. There are currently 20,31,977 active cases in the country as of Tuesday.

The death toll has reached 1,80,530, including 1,761 in the last 24 hours - the highest since the pandemic broke out last year.

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