Coronavirus-Stricken Aishwarya Rai and Daughter Admitted to Hospital

NEW DELHI, KOMPAS.com – Renowned Indian actress Aishwarya Rai and her daughter have been hospitalized after tests show both are Covid-19 positive this week.

The husband and father-in-law of the Bollywood actress were also hospitalized based on reports from Times of India on Saturday.

Famous Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, 77, and his son and also Aishwarya Rai’s husband, Abhishek Bachchan, 44, are being treated at Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital.

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The hospital has become home to the country’s highest-profile patients as India struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Aishwarya Rai was a former Miss World and is the mother of her eight-year-old daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan.

The mother-daughter duo had been isolating at home undergoing self-quarantine. The Times of India reported Friday that both are receiving treatment at a top private hospital in India.

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The Indian Express newspaper, citing the news agency PTI, said the family was responding well to treatment.

"They all are OK. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan will be in the hospital maybe for a day or two,” said a hospital source quoted in the report.

Spokeswomen for Aishwarya Rai and the Nanavati Hospital did not respond to requests for comment.

Aishwarya Rai, 46, has worked on several Bollywood and Hollywood films and is a brand ambassador for multinational companies including L'Oreal.

India has registered over a million coronavirus cases, the world's third-highest number and more than 26,000 people have died of Covid-19. Partial lockdowns have been re-imposed in some densely populated areas to control the spread of the virus.

Stable condition

Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek were reported to be in stable condition on July 12, according to a hospital official and government health authorities.

Amitabh took to Twitter on July 11 to announce his Covid-19 diagnosis joining the ranks of India’s coronavirus-stricken patients that topped 1 million this week.

Abhishek also used Twitter as a platform to announce his positive Covid-19 test result.

The father-son duo showed mild symptoms of the Covid-19 virus and appealed to their millions of fans to remain calm amid the family’s diagnosis.

On Sunday, an official at Nanavati and government health officials in Mumbai said both the father and son were in stable condition.

At the time, reports had awaited on the condition of Amitabh Bachchan's wife Jaya and Abhishek's wife Aishwarya, both also highly regarded actors.

Meanwhile, civic authorities launched a massive sanitizing drill at Bachchan's upscale residence in Mumbai, spraying disinfectant in the large compound and on cars parked there.

A Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan has been a prominent figure in the fight against the coronavirus by appearing in public service advertisements.

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In the ads, he urges people to wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and maintain social distance in his trademark baritone.

India's film industry recently resumed film shoots after a months-long hiatus following the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in late March.

But actors over 65, such as Amitabh, are banned from the sets because of their vulnerability to the virus.

Coronavirus cases have been rising steadily in India. The disease has infected over 820,000 people and killed over 22,000 in the country, according to a Reuters tally. 

(Writer: Sudarshan Varadhan, Nupur Anand | Editor: William Mallard, Rupam Jain, Raju Gopalkrishnan) 

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-bachchan/bollywood-star-aishwarya-rai-daughter-hospitalised-for-covid-19-media-idUSKBN24J09V

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-bachchan/indian-film-star-amitabh-bachchan-son-in-stable-condition-health-officials-idUSKCN24D04S