Veteran playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who has been battling the coronavirus for nearly a month, has tested negative. However, after weeks on a ventilator to assist breathing, his lung function has not improved enough to be taken off the machine, said his son, SP Charan in the latest health update he put up on social media.

“We were hoping for good news over the weekend, in terms of improvement in dad’s lung function to remove the ventilator, but unfortunately, we are still not at that point where we can remove the machine. The good news is that he is now Covid negative. I had previously said that it now doesn’t matter if he is positive or negative, as we are hoping for his lungs to heal fast. They are healing, but they are taking time. Other than that, over the weekend we had a small celebration for mom and dad for their wedding anniversary. Dad is watching a lot of tennis and cricket on his iPad; he is happy that the seasons have started and is looking forward to the IPL. He is writing and communicating a lot and is not under sedation. He is very clear and bright and physiotherapy is going on,” Charan said in his video note, adding that the family is thankful of the wishes and prayers. “Let’s keep the prayers going,” he signed off.