Coronavirus update: Artistes Sathyaraj, Nafisa Ali hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19

Veteran actor Sathyaraj was hospitalized on Saturday after contracting COVID-19. The 67-year-old was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. No statement has yet been put out yet by either the hospital or the family. 

The Baahubali (2015) actor is among the many figures from the Indian film industry who have tested positive for the viral infection during the ongoing third wave of the pandemic. 

Senior actress Nafisa Ali was also admitted to the hospital on the weekend after testing positive for the coronavirus. The artiste was running a temperature of 102 degrees before being rushed to the hospital. Worryingly, despite being double vaccinated, the actress' oxygen saturation level plummeted to 88. She is now on the road to recovery. 

Late on Saturday, singer Arijit Singh confirmed that he and his wife had tested positive for the virus and were self-isolating. 

Actress Esha Gupta, meanwhile, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and is self-isolating at home. The Total Dhamaal (2019) star confirmed the news on Instagram, writing, "Despite the utmost precautions, I have tested positive for Covid-19. I have been following the protocols and have isolated myself and currently under home quarantine (sic)."

Gupta joins the ever-increasing list of names from film industries across the country testing positive to the infection such as director Madhur Bhandarkar and artistes Mithila Palkar, Swara Bhaskar, Mahesh Babu and Trisha Krishnan.

Composer Vishal Dadlani, who is recovering from the virus, has been bereaved after the loss of his father, Moti Dadlani. The musician's father had been in the ICU due to post-gall bladder surgery complications. The composer shared the news of his demise, eulogizing the patriarch as the nicest and kindest man on earth, and expressed his frustration about being unable to console his mother in person. Dadlani also thanked his sister for handling everything "with far more strength than I would be able to muster up."

India has reported close to 1.7 lakh cases of COVID-19 so far and several states have imposed strict restrictions to contain the spread of the virus.