Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal test Covid positive

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 29 (ANI): Maharashtra Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal tested positive for Coronavirus disease on Tuesday.
Desai, while confirming this, tweeted that his health is fine.
"My covid test is positive. I am receiving treatment from doctors in home isolation at my residence. My health is fine and there is no reason to worry. I appeal to those who have come in direct contact with me in the last three-four days to immediately get tested for Covid if they have any symptoms," he said in his tweet.
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the country, Maharashtra reported 450 new cases of the infection and 3 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the officials of the state public health department.
According to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), the number of active cases in the state is 2343 of COVID-19 with a daily positivity rate of 1.82 per cent.
The state's tally of COVID-19-positive patients is now 81,42,509, official data shows.
According to official figures, a new Covid-19 sub-variant XBB 1.16 is on the rise. 230 patients of the XBB 1.16 variant were found in the State.
Out of these, 151 are from Pune, 24 are from Aurangabad, 23 are from Thane, 11 are from Kolhapur, 11 are from Ahmednagar, 8 are from Amravati, and one is from Mumbai and Raigad each.
The state government has instructed to increase surveillance in the residential area of these patients.
According to officials, on the background of the international scenario of Covid-19, screening of international passengers arriving at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airports has been started from December 24, 2022. (ANI)