UP Minister Dies, Was Admitted To Hospital Due To COVID-19

Kamal Rani Varun served as Minister of Technical Education in the Yogi Adityanath government.

Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Varun, who had earlier tested positive for the novel coronavirus, died due to the infection in Lucknow this morning. She was 62.

Kamal Rani Devi died at 9:30 AM at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, the government said in a statement.

The minister was on oxygen and ventilator support for the last few days.

Kamal Rani Varun served as Minister of Technical Education in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.

She was admitted to hospital on July 18 after she tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"I express my deepest condolences to the family of Cabinet Minister Kamala Rani Varun. She was COVID-19 positive and was receiving treatment at SGPGI Hospital. She was a popular public leader and a social worker. She worked efficiently while being the part of the Cabinet," Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in his condolence message.

The chief minister has cancelled his scheduled visit to Ayodhya to oversee the preparations for the ground-breaking ceremony for building of the Ram temple there.

The COVID-19 situation is grim in Uttar Pradesh, where 1,677 people have lost their lives due to the virus. With over 100 deaths, state capital Lucknow is among the worst-affected; it is only behind Kanpur (202 deaths) and Meerut (108) in the number of fatalities in the state.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 89,068, up from Friday''s 85,261.