Lata in ICU with Covid

Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after she tested positive for Covid-19, PTI reported quoting her niece Rachna and doctors. She has mild symptoms.

The singer "is doing fine and she has been kept in ICU as a precautionary reason considering her age," Rachna told the agency.

Pratit Samdhani, who is heading the team of experts treating Lata Mangeshkar, 92, at Breach Candy hospital, said she was brought early on Sunday morning and is suffering from Covid-19 and pneumonia.

Rachna told The Indian Express that "Lata taai has tested positive for Covid-19, and considering her age, doctors advised us to admit her in the ICU because she requires constant care."

"We cannot take a chance. As a family, we want the best for her and we want to ensure that she gets proper medical care," she said.

During a career spanning seven decades, the singer, who began crooning at the age of 13, has sung songs in more than 1,000 Hindi films and in several other languages.

She is the recipient of India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna, three National Film Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Indian government's topmost honour for contributions to cinema.

Mumbai is witnessing a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, including the Omicron variant.