India's Interior Minister Amit Shah has been admitted to hospital after catching the coronavirus, he said on Sunday, becoming the most senior politician in the country to test positive for the disease.

Shah, a close aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, heads a ministry that has been at the forefront of managing the epidemic.

India's coronavirus outbreak is the third worst in the world behind the United states and Brazil, with nearly 1.7 million confirmed cases and 36,500 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

“I request all of you who came in contact with me in the last few days to isolate yourselves and get tested,” Shah said in a tweet.

Shah, 55, said he had got himself tested after exhibiting initial symptoms of Covid-19. “My health is fine but I am being hospitalised on the advice of doctors,” he added.

An interior ministry spokesman said he was unable to immediately comment on when Shah had last met with Modi.