UPDATE 4-India's coronavirus cases hit record as Mumbai prepares for new lockdown
* India records 184,372 new coronavirus infections
* Reports of queues, oxygen shortages at some hostpitals
* Business capital Mumbai to lock down at midnight
* Thousands still bathe together at Kumbh Mela festival (Adds quote, pars 10-11)
By Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Sumit Khanna
MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD, India, April 14 (Reuters) - India's new coronavirus infections hit a record level on Wednesday with Mumbai set to be locked down at midnight, but hundreds of thousands of pilgrims still thronged to a religious festival in the north of the country.
The country reported 184,372 cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, taking total infections to 13.9 million. Deaths rose by 1,027, for a toll of 172,085.
After reporting less than 10,000 cases per day earlier this year, India has been the world's worst-hit country since April 2. The government blames https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-surge-idUSKBN2BV129 a widespread failure to heed curbs on movement and social interaction among the population of 1.39 billion people.
The rise in cases comes as India's richest state, Maharashtra, the epicentre of the national second wave, is due to enter a full lockdown at midnight (1830 GMT) until the end of April to contain the spread of the virus. The state accounts for about a quarter of the country's total coronavirus cases.
India's commercial capital Mumbai was bustling with shoppers, stocking up before the lockdown comes into effect.
"We don't know if we will be allowed to set up our stalls from tomorrow, so we're asking our customers to stock up as much as possible today," said Susheela, a street vegetable vendor, who goes by only her first name.
There were snaking lines outside many grocery stores as residents waited to enter.
Elsewhere, over-stretched private hospitals are turning patients away, placing an increasing burden on government facilities.
In the western state of Gujurat, a Reuters witness saw a long queue of ambulances waiting outside Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Wednesday, with some patients being treated there while they waited.
"My wife tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. We called an ambulance this morning to bring her to hospital as she was facing difficulty in breathing," Becharbhai Waghela, who was accompanying his wife Shantaben, 61, told Reuters.
"We have been waiting in the ambulance outside the hospital campus for the last two hours."
A hospital source, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly, said a lot of private hospitals were short of oxygen and were sending their patients to public hospitals.
CROWDS OF PILGRIMS
Chhattisgarh state - one of several hinterland regions struggling with a surge in cases - set up a temporary 370-bed hospital in an indoor stadium.
"The way COVID-19 cases are rising and people are getting hypoxia or low level of oxygen in the blood, there is a shortage of oxygen supply," said Avinash Chaturvedi, a doctor at the facility.
"We have converted this stadium into a COVID care centre to deal with that situation."
Despite this, hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus gathered to bathe in the Ganges river in the northern city of Haridwar on Wednesday, the third major bathing day of the weeks-long Kumbh Mela festival.
Sanjay Gunjyal, the inspector general of police at the festival, said around 650,000 people had bathed on Wednesday morning.
"People are being fined for not following social distancing in non-crowded ghats (bathing areas), but it is very hard to fine people in the main ghats, which are very crowded," he said.
There was little evidence of social distancing or mask-wearing, according to a Reuters witness.
More than a thousand cases have been reported in Haridwar district in the last two days, according to government data.
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Brush up ur knowledge b4 writing.Good tht u changed the title.Like 0
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Lets not point out at each other and differentiate as Hindus n Muslims!! We Indians are to be blamed for our over enthusiasm towards religion overlooking grave Covid scenario.Let each Indian be responsible...in the Covid world meter its counted as an Indian who gets infected or dies and not as a Hindu or Muslim!!Like 2
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Well saidLike 1
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Good that you change the word hindu from title! Next time think before you post this kind of rubbishLike 3
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something not right with the title though. we are witnessing the spread everywhere, why you blame Kumbh only ?Like
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the reason of second wave corona due careless behaviourLike
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All ***break loose.Like
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what a wierd correlation! Kumbh bath happens in uttarakhand several km away from Mumbai, Pune Ahmedabad and other corona epicenter. Yes, Kumbh mela must be avoided. But it seems you are intentionally blaming kumbh for all these corona mess? So much to please you international masters? BAD REPORTING INDEED!Like 5
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first day at kumbh .. 100 covid positivethird day covid testing ... more than 1000 covid positive.Nonsense behaviour in the name of religion can't be tolerated.Like
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what a wierd correlation! Kumbh bath happens in uttarakhand several km away from Mumbai, Pune Ahmedabad and other corona epicenter. Yes, Kumbh mela must be avoided. But it seems you are intentionally blaming kumbh for all these corona mess? So much to please you international masters? BAD REPORTING INDEED!Like
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what a wierd correlation! Kumbh bath happens in uttarakhand several km away from Mumbai, Pune Ahmedabad and other corona epicenter. Yes, Kumbh mela must be avoided. But it seems you are intentionally blaming kumbh for all these corona mess? So much to please you international masters? BAD REPORTING INDEED!Like 1
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boycott investing app!Like 2
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clearly you have something against the HindusLike 2
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This spread shd not be looked fm religious prospective, let's be cautious as it cld be epicentre..Mind it , most of participants are not wealthy to afford a ICU.Like
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This is foolishness by those people and they have come there for religious reasons. Government did not stop it due to religious reasons. People will pay for their foolishness and blind faithLike
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Poor journalism!Like 5
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where were these hindu enthusiasts when abusing tabhligi jamat for the spread? you are same. No difference at allLike 7
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Do the writer even knows how much is the difference between uttrakhand and maharashtra .... just get some basic knowledge before writing somethingLike 1
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let them come and take a dip in Maharashtra and tabhliki jamatLike
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I think Wirters Are Not From India...Senseless Talking Kumbh-Mela Spreading Corona LoL...Mr. Writers Funny Journalism Try another way😅😅😅Like 5
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Gatherings are spreading the infections whether from the kumbh mela or anything else people illiterate like you are the cause of the spreadLike
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Gatherings are spreading the infections whether from the kumbh mela or anything else people illiterate like you are the cause of the spreadLike
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Gatherings are spreading the infections whether from the kumbh mela or anything else people illiterate like yourself are the cause of the spreadLike
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most of the cases are from Maharashtra. And there is no Ganga in Maharashtra. People can write literally anythingLike 5
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@Ronak Patel ITS TRUELike
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Hope more people will do so ! Why u ppl only target hindusLike 4
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@Nithin Kadoor Kongad , YES they always blames HindusLike 1
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Remove ur app seeing this type of reportingLike
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mass crowd gathering to be avoidedLike 1
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mass crowd gathering to be avoidedLike
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What about golden temple in Punjab?0 cases?Like 1
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What about golden temple in Punjab?0 cases?Like
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It appears ( journalists) they are bent upon creating shivers and panic among masses instead of educating and being normal . The time is ripe to teach news reporters instead.Biased reportingLike 1
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