Coronavirus in Delhi: AAP's Atishi, Akshay Marathe test positive for COVID-19

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, too, had isolated himself last week after he complained of symptoms. He had tested negative for the virus.

Moneycontrol News

June 17, 2020 / 20:32 IST

Image: Twitter/@AamAadmiParty

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Kalkaji constituency in South Delhi, Atishi, has tested positive for coronavirus, reports suggest.

According to reports, the party's spokesperson, Akshay Marathe, too, has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a tweet, Atishi said she is doing okay and is under home isolation after getting her test results.

"Thanks a lot for all the love and good wishes! Want to reassure everyone that I'm doing OK. Am in home isolation since I got my test results. Fully equipped with fruit, Vitamin C and an oximeter to monitor oxygen levels," she tweeted, posting photos of oximeter, fruits and medicines.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to wish her speedy recovery. "Atishi ji has played an important role in the fight against corona. I hope that she will get healthy soon and again get involved in serving the people," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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