Delhi chief minister tests positive for COVID-19 as India cases hit highest in months

India reported 37,379 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday, the most since early September as the Omicron coronavirus variant overtakes Delta in places such as the capital New Delhi, Reuters reported.

One of the newly infected people was Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who spoke at an election rally on Monday without wearing a mask. Similar rallies have been held across states voting in the next few months in upcoming ballots.

Kejriwal said in a Twitter post he had isolated at home and urged those who came in touch with him in recent days to do similar and be tested for COVID-19.

The country’s death toll rose by 124 to reach a total of 482,017. Total infections stand at 34.96 million.