NEW DELHI : One more minister in India’s Tamil Nadu state has been tested positive for the coronavirus as India continues to see a surge in daily COVID-19 cases.
State labour minister Nilofer Kafeel, who also handles rural employment and Waqf Board affairs, is the latest to test positive for the virus, Indian media reported on Friday.
Tamil Nadu’s state capital Chennai is one of the most affected Indian cities as the country’s total coronavirus cases crossed one million on Friday.
The state’s higher education minister K.P. Anbalagan, electricity minister P. Thangamani, and minister for cooperation Sellur K. Raju were recently treated for the infection.
India is the third worst-hit country in the COVID-19 pandemic after the United States and Brazil.
With 34,956 new infections reported in the 24-hour period, the country has 342,473 active cases, news agency Press Trust of India reported, citing federal Health Ministry figures on Friday.
The number of 687 fatalities was the highest recorded in a day, taking the total death toll to 25,602.
The surge in daily infections has put India’s healthcare system under serious pressure and some states have been forced to impose area-wise lockdowns despite national efforts to revive economic activity and travel.
— BERNAMA
