Akhilesh Trashed Vax, Fully-Vaccinated Wife Tests Positive; UP Health Min Asks Him To Be ‘Responsible Now’

| Updated: 22 December, 2021 6:01 pm IST
Akhilesh Yadav With His Wife

LUCKNOW: At a time when former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav — who had kicked a storm when he said that he would not take vaccine until government puts a national flag on certificate and that many were testing positive even after taking both jabs — is out in the field holding mega Vijay Yatra across the state ahead of the crucial assembly elections, his wife and former MP Dimple Yadav has tested positive for Covid-19.

This is despite her being “fully vaccinated”.

Dimple took to twitter and wrote, “I got the Covid test done, whose report is positive. I am fully vaccinated and still not showing any symptoms. For the safety of myself and others, I have isolated myself. All the people who have met me recently are requested to get their test done soon.”

UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh hit back at Akhilesh, saying at least now he must behave responsibly.

“Some people take power to their heads forever. He was the CM of India’s most populous state, he has kept on behaving irresponsibly throughout Covid. At least now, he should himself get vaccinated and not put his own family members at risk. Vaccine is a silver bullet, it is meant to save life and reduce Coronavirus’s threat with known efficacy of more than 60 % in mild to severe cases,” Singh said while speaking to The New Indian.

Dimple’s detection for Covid comes a day after her husband held a massive Vijay Yatra in his family’s strongholds Mainpuri and Etah districts of the state on Tuesday.

Medical experts have warned that rising cases of Omicron variant’s should be a wake-up call.

“Precautions before Delta variant, during and after should be the same now. That is wearing masks and not unnecessary stepping out of homes. Besides, the decision on booster jab should be made soon. But stopping domestic activity is not the right approach. Only adequate precautions that is wearing masks all the time is the only way,” said Vibhu Talwar, Moolchand hospital, Delhi.

Akhilesh is also scheduled to hold a joint rally with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary in Aligarh on Thursday.

Akhilesh had launched the party’s Vijay Yatra from Kanpur in October this year. As part of this yatra, Akhilesh has covered several districts of the state along with several party leaders — the purpose being to apprise people of the contributions made by his party in the state, as well as to garner public support ahead of the upcoming elections. Dimple, however, has not been a part of any of the eight Vijay Yatras led by her husband.

According to a party source, the Vijay Yatra will continue as planned as Akhilesh has been in the field this entire period.

In January this year, Akhilesh had said he would not get himself inoculated with a “BJP vaccine”. His comments on the Covid-19 vaccination drew sharp criticism from leaders of the ruling party.

The SP chief then tried to make amends on Twitter the same day, saying he was not referring to scientists. “I have never raised any questions on any scientist developing the vaccine or any person helping in making the vaccine. I only raised questions on the BJP as people do not have faith in the party because of the decisions taken by it,” Akhilesh had said.

On Wednesday, India recorded 6,317 new cases of Covid-19 and 318 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country’s active caseload presently stands at 78,190, the lowest in 575 days.

The country has so far reported 213 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 11 new infections of the Omicron variant which took the tally of such cases in the state to 54.  Omicron cases in the capital have increased to 57. Delhi and Maharashtra continue to contribute the highest number of new Omicron cases to the country’s total caseload.

The central government on Tuesday also warned the states that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is “at least three times more transmissible” than the Delta variant. The Centre also directed states to impose strict restrictions in districts reporting high positivity rate, including imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings and containment measures.

The Centre also told the states to “activate” war rooms and keep analysing trends and surges, directing that specific measures need to be taken in view of “initial signs of a surge in cases of Covid-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern (VOC), Omicron, in different parts of the country”.

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