Coronavirus: Jailed poet, activist Varavara Rao tests positive for COVID-19

By Team Newsable  |  First Published Jul 16, 2020, 8:18 PM IST

80-year-old Hyderabad-based poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, has tested positive for COVID-19.



Mumbai: Jailed poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has tested positive for COVID-19, a hospital official said on Thursday.

The 80-year-old, lodged in the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai under judicial custody, was admitted to the state-run JJ Hospital earlier this week.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

According to Dr Ranjeet Mankeshwar, dean of JJ Hospital, Rao's medical report arrived on Thursday and he was found to be COVID-19 positive.

"His treatment is going on," Mankeshwar said.

Rao was shifted to the government-run hospital in south Mumbai after he complained of giddiness.

Maharashtra on Thursday reported the highest single-day spike of 8,641 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. The state tally now stands at 2,84,281. With 266 fresh deaths, the death toll now stands at 11,194, the state health department said in its bulletin.

click me!