NEW DELHI: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim were among the prominent politicians who tested positive for COVID-19 as a rapid spike in cases took the tally in the country to over 18 lakh on Monday.
"I have just tested positive for #Covid. My symptoms are mild and as per medical advice I am under home quarantine. I would urge all those who have recently been in contact with me to follow medical protocol," Karti, who is the son of Congress leader P Chidambaram and represents Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency, said.
On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and UP state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh had said that they have tested positive for coronavirus.
IT and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he has gone into self-isolation for a few days as per protocol as he had met Shah on Saturday evening.
"Friends! I'm absolutely fine. To follow protocol I hv isolated myself at home for few days as I had met Amit Shah Ji on Saturday evening for n official meeting. I'm working from home & following daily routine including Yoga & exercise. Also reading books & enjoying classical music," Prasad said on Twitter.
Shah had on Sunday tweeted that he had tested for COVID-19 after showing initial symptoms.
He said that his health was fine and he was getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors.
Earlier, Union Minister Babul Supriyo too had tweeted that he is going into self-isolation since he had met Shah a day before.
CPI (M) leader Mohammed Salim said that he has been hospitalised and was showing mild symptoms of coronavirus.
"I have tested positive for Coronavirus with very mild symptoms but I got myself admitted into a hospital as per the advice of my attending doctor. This decision also aims at avoiding all kinds of risks of infection amongst my friends, family & neighbours," he tweeted.
The 63-year-old former MP from Raiganj constituency has been admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata.
The CPI said its Bihar state council secretary Satya Narayan, who had tested positive for COVID-19, passed away on Sunday.
In a video message, Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa, who was admitted to a hospital here Sunday night after testing positive for COVID-19, said there was no need for anyone to worry and he will soon get back to work after recovery.
The Manipal Hospital where the 77-year-old leader is admitted said he was "doing well" and "clinically stable.
" While one of his daughters has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is admitted to the same private hospital, his son B Y Vijayendra said he was going for seven days of home quarantine as a precautionary measure.
Contact tracing and sanitising activities have been carried out at the Chief Ministers home office and official residence here, following which it emerged that at least six staffers have been confirmed with the infection, official sources said.
Yediyurappa is the fourth member of his cabinet to contract the disease after Forest Minister Anand Singh, Tourism Minister C T Ravi and Agriculture Minister B C Patil.
Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, whom the chief minister had met on July 31, have tested negative.
However, Bommai and other cabinet colleagues, including Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj, Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, who had met the chief minister in the last couple of days, have gone into home quarantine, official sources said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been in Chirayu Medical College and Hospital in Bhopal since July 25, will undergo further hospitalisation after a COVID-19 test conducted on the 9th day returned positive.
A health bulletin from the hospital said, "CM's RT-PCR test for SARS-Cov-2 on 9th day was positive. His medical parameters are normal."
MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the Chouhan will stay in hospital for now.
Chouhan had tweeted on Sunday that he was healthy and not showing any symptoms of the infection, and had said he would be discharged if a sample collected for tests during the day returns negative.
In Tamil Nadu, the Raj Bhavan said Governor Banwarilal Purohit was "stable" after doctors examined him on Monday.
"Today, doctors from Kauvery hospital carried out the health checkup of the Governor and found him stable. They are monitoring his health condition 24 X 7," a Raj Bhavan release said.
Purohit, 80, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and showed mild symptoms.
Four legislators -- Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani, Bihar BJP MLC Sunil Kumar Singh, Trinamool MLA from West Bengal Tamonash Ghosh and DMK legislator from Tamil Nadu J Anbazhagan have succumbed to COVID-19.
In UP, Jal Shakti Minister Mahendra Singh, Jai Health Minister Pratap Singh, Rural Development Minister Rajendra Pratap Singh alias Moti Singh, Sainik Kalyan Minister Chetan Chauhan, Ayush Minister Dharam Singh Saini and Youth Development Minister Upendra Tiwari had tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Union Health Ministry, the total coronavirus cases surged to 18,03,695, while the death toll climbed to 38,135.
There are 5,79,357 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country at present while the recoveries have increased to 11,86,203.
The COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 65.77 per cent, while the fatality rate is at 2.11 per cent, the data stated.