Aug 2, 2020 - Health

Leading Indian politician tests positive for coronavirus

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah at the Parliament House on March 3. Photo: Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images

India's Home Minister Amit Shah was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after testing positive for the coronavirus, he said in a tweet.

Why it matters: Shah "is widely viewed as the second most powerful person in India" behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Wall Street Journal reports.

What he's saying: "My health is fine, but I am being admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors. I request that all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get your inquiry done," Shah tweeted.

The big picture: India is reporting the third-most coronavirus infections in the world, behind Brazil and the U.S., per Johns Hopkins — although experts have expressed doubt at official records from China and Russia.

The country is reporting more than 1.7 million infections, primarily in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and over 37,000 deaths. Over 1.1 million people in the country have recovered.

Go deeper: India reports third-highest coronavirus case count in the world

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Note: ±3.0% margin of error for the total sample; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

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