Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said he has tested positive for Covid-19.
The Rajasthan CM had been infected with Covid-19 last year too, in April.
In a Twitter post on Thursday, Gehlot said, “I got my Covid test done this evening, which came positive. I have very mild symptoms and have no other problems. All the people who came in contact with me today are requested to isolate themselves and get their Covid test done.”
आज शाम मैंने अपना कोविड टेस्ट करवाया जो पॉजिटिव आया है। मेरे बेहद हल्के लक्षण हैं एवं कोई अन्य परेशानी नहीं है। आज मेरे संपर्क में आए सभी लोगों से निवेदन है कि वे स्वयं को आइसोलेट कर लें एवं अपना कोविड टेस्ट अवश्य करवाएं।
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) January 6, 2022
Among other engagements, Gehlot had addressed a press conference with Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra on the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security lapse in Punjab, on Thursday afternoon.
An hour before sharing his Covid positive status, Gehlot had said, “There is a belief among the general public that the Omicron variant of Corona is not fatal, so people are being careless. Experts are of the opinion that after recovery from Omicron, post Covid problems can be as severe as the earlier variants.”
“Post Covid problems can include asthma, frequent headaches, lung diseases, kidney problems and even heart disease,” he had said on Twitter. Citing his own example, he said that, “According to the doctors, one of the reasons for my artery blockage in August 2021 was it being a post-Covid problem. Therefore, take Omicron seriously, follow the Covid protocol and get both doses of the vaccine.”
Post contracting Covid in April 2021, Gehlot had faced health issues and had severe pain in his chest in late August last year. He then underwent angioplasty on August 27, 2021. As per Dr Sudhir Bhandari, Principal and Controller of Sawai Man Singh Medical College where Gehlot was treated, the CM “was found to have 90 per cent blockade in one of the main arteries i.e. the Left Anterior Descending (LAD -artery of the heart).”
Covid cases in Rajasthan have been spiking, with Jaipur being the worst hit. On January 1, there were 301 new Covid cases, of which 192 were from Jaipur. On January 5, the state recorded 1,883 new cases, and 1,138 were from Jaipur. On Wednesday, Rajasthan also recorded 62 new Omicron cases, taking the state’s total to 236.