Congrees leader PL Punia tests positive for COVID-19, hospitalised

National General Secretary of the Indian National Congress PL Punia has tested positive for coronavirus. The senior Congress leader has been admitted to Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad.

According to Dr Anuj Aggarwal, Medical Superintendent of Yashoda Hospital, "a high-resolution chest CT scan of Shri PL Punia was done in which the effect of corona infection was seen as viral pneumonitis, for which immediate antiviral therapy and other covid treatment protocols have been started for treatment for him."

Dr Aggarwal further said, "Mr Punia was on his visit to Chhattisgarh and he was tested positive there for coronavirus when he had early symptoms of coronavirus infection and even after coming to Delhi, he also got his test done in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, which also came positive."

Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 count reached 72,39,390 on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). In the last 24 hours, 63,509 new cases were reported with 730 deaths.

Importantly, the rise in COVID-19 cases has been on the decline in the country, while around 56 thousand cases were reported yesterday, the rise today is a little over 60-thousand.

Meanwhile, as per the MoHFW, the COVID-19 count includes 8,26,876 active cases, and 63,01,928 cured and discharged or migrated cases.

In the last 24 hours, 706 deaths have been reported from different parts of the country which has taken the total to 1,10,586. 

A total of 9,00,90,122 samples have been tested in the country for COVID-19 till Tuesday. This includes 11,45,015 samples tested on October 13.

The MoHFW said that India continues to report one of the lowest COVID-19 cases and lowest deaths per million population in the world. It added that India's recoveries are the highest in the world.