Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been admitted to AIIMS Covid Centre in Delhi for observation.

According to a press release by AIIMS, Birla had tested positive on March 19 and was hospitalized the very next day. “He is stable and all his parameters are normal,” the press statement said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tested positive for COVID19 on March 19. He was admitted to AIIMS COVID Centre for observation on March 20. He is stable: AIIMS, Delhi pic.twitter.com/nhook5tr83

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2021

With Birla now testing positive, only time will tell how this will affect the ongoing session of the Parliament.

Last year, the monsoon session of the Parliament was curtailed after over 30 MPs, including Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel, tested positive for Covid.

India has recorded 43,846 new cases in the last 24 hours, making this the highest single-day spike since November 25. With this, the total number of cases in the country now is over 1.15 crore.

There are over 3.09 lakh cases active cases while 1.11 crore people have recovered. Maharashtra reported 27,126 new cases, while Punjab had 2,578 on Sunday.

With 197 new deaths, the death toll is now over 1.59 lakh. Six states account for 86.8 per cent of the new Covid-19 deaths and Maharashtra tops the chart with 92 causalities reported on Sunday.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said people should not let their guard down against the virus and unless people exercise caution, the situation may turn dangerous. “With vaccines available now, people feel they should not wear masks. Maximum people hang their masks around their neck, some keep it in their pocket and some do not use it at all,” the minister said