Yediyurappa doing well, clinically stable, says hospital (Lead)

Bengaluru, Aug 3 : Karnataka’s septuagenarian Chief Minister B.S. Yedyiyurappa is doing well at a private hospital where he was admitted on Sunday after testing Covid positive, an official said on Monday.

“At present, Yediyurappa is doing well and is clinically stable. Appropriate treatment has been initiated as per protocols,” a Manipal Hospital official said in a statement here.

Yediyurappa, 77, and his daughter B.Y. Padmavati who also tested positive, are in the same hospital though they are asymptomatic with mild symptoms of the virus.

“The Chief Minister is monitored by a multi-disciplinary team of our doctors,” said the statement.

The hospital has allowed Yediyurappa to have home food during his stay for the treatment.

Earlier in the day, allaying concerns about his health, the Chief Minister assured the people that there was “nothing to worry about” and he would be discharged from the hospital soon.

“There is nothing to worry about. I will be discharged soon and start work,” said Yediyurappa in Kannada in a video message played in all the local news channels across the state.

Assuring the people that he was doing fine, he said doctors had conducted required tests and observed no complications.

“I will recover soon. I am in touch with all officials since Sunday to ensure that the government works are not affected. I also spoke to senior officials earlier in the day,” he said.

Yediyurappa also urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease.

In a tweet in Kannada, the Chief Minister requested all those who came in contact with him recently to test, be observant and exercise self-quarantine.

Though Yediyurappa has mostly been at home due to public holidays from July 31 to August 2, he drove to the Raj Bhavan and met Governor Vajubhai Vala along with state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

“Later, National Education Policy drafting committee chairman K. Kasturirangan called on him at his residence,” an official told IANS.

Vala and two of his officials who also came in contact with Yediyurappa, however, tested negative on Monday.

Meawhile, Bommai and new Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, who took over on August 1, have decided to undergo self-quarantine, as they in contact with Yediyurappa on Friday and Saturday.

In a related development, six persons, including a woman, working at the official residence (‘Cauvery’) and home-office (‘Krishna’) of Yediyurappa here also tested positive for coronavirus as his primary contacts.

The six include a cook, maid, driver, housekeeper and a policeman on security duty.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.