New Delhi: Director-General of ICMR Dr Balram Bhargava has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is currently admitted to the Covid-19 ward in the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
Sources in the Health Ministry told ThePrint Dr Bhargava, who is also the secretary of the Department of Health Research, tested positive almost a week ago. He had skipped this week’s Covid-19 briefing Tuesday where he has been a regular.
Dr Bhargava’s infection follows a string of Covid cases being reported among senior officers in the Ministry of Health, including several additional secretaries and joint secretaries.
Dr Bhargava’s office is, however, not in the same building as the Ministry of Health.
In August, health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal, who had initially been the face of the Government of India’s Covid-19 communication, had tested positive.
Dr Bhargava has been one of the three key technocrats in this government’s Covid strategy — the others being NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr Vinod Paul and AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria.
Dr Bhargava is a member of several important committees, and has also authored several research articles on the course of the Covid pandemic in India and therapeutic options. Before his current assignment in the Department of Health Research, he was part of the faculty at Department of Cardiology, AIIMS.
While it has been the custom of senior government functionaries to announce their Covid-positive status on Twitter to ensure contacts can isolate or get tested as required, Dr Bhargava is yet to make any such announcement.
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