Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday night tweeted to say he was Covid positive (File)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr Tharoor, 65, said his sister, his 85-year-old mother and he were all Covid-positive, and that he is "hoping to deal with it in a 'positive' frame of mind, with rest, steam & plenty of fluids".
"After waiting two days for a test appointment and another day-and-a-half for the results, I finally have confirmation: I'm Covid positive. Hoping to deal with it in a 'positive' frame of mind, with rest, steam and plenty of fluids. My sister and 85-year-old mother are in the same boat," he tweeted.
Shortly after the above tweet Mr Tharoor posted again, confirming that he and his family had taken the two required doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
"Folks should know that my sister has had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine in California and my mother and I took our second Covishield shot on April 8. So we have every reason to hope that though vaccines cannot prevent infection, they will moderate the impact of the Covid virus," he said.
The Kerala MP is the third senior Congress figure to test positive for the virus in the past few days.
On Tuesday Rahul Gandhi said he was Covid positive and was in home isolation.
Mr Gandhi, 50, said he had only mild symptoms, but urged all those who had been in contact with him to "please follow all safety protocols and stay safe."
Party sources said Mr Gandhi had not met his mother and interim chief Sonia Gandhi, or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in the past 12 days. Ms Gandhi Vadra has been in home isolation since April 2, after her husband, businessman Robert Vadra, tested positive.
On Monday former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also tested positive.
Mr Singh, 88, has since been admitted to the Trauma Centre at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where he is being treated. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said yesterday that the former Prime Minister's condition was stable.
Dr Singh has also received his two vaccine doses (of Covaxin) - the first on March 4 and the second on April 3. Sources said he was shifted to hospital as "a matter of precaution".
India is battling a frightening new wave of Covid infections, led by mutated strains widely believed to be more infectious and harder to defeat.
This morning the country reported over 2.95 lakh cases, taking the active caseload to well over 21.5 lakh - the highest it has been since the pandemic began in December 2019.