Bollywood star Akshay Kumar tests positive as India virus surge worsens

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar said Sunday he has tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the latest Indian celebrity to contract the virus as the vast nation battles a new wave of cases.

India reported 93,249 new daily infections on Sunday, according to health ministry data, the highest increase since September, taking the total known cases to almost 12.5 million.

"I wish to inform everyone that, earlier this morning, I have tested positive for Covid-19," the 53-year-old actor tweeted.

Kumar said last year that he drinks cow urine daily to stay healthy -- a practice some Hindus believe has medical benefits, including against the coronavirus.

He tweeted that he is now under home quarantine and has "sought necessary medical care".

Saturday also saw Indian spin star Axar Patel announce he had tested positive and was in isolation ahead of the start of the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League tournament.

The news came just a day after Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said he had been hospitalised as a precautionary measure after testing positive a week earlier.

Single-day infections in the nation of 1.3 billion have been rising since early February when they fell to below 9,000 after peaking at almost 100,000 in September.

Experts have warned that infections are increasing at a faster pace in India, which has the world's third-highest number of cases after the US and Brazil, compared to last year.