India’s coronavirus rates hit new high, curbs in Maharashtra

dpa New Delhi India reported a new daily record of 184,372 new coronavirus infections and 1,027 related deaths on Wednesday as the worst-hit state of Maha...

dpa New DelhiIndia reported a new daily record of 184,372 new coronavirus infections and 1,027 related deaths on Wednesday as the worst-hit state of Maharashtra put in place lockdown-like restrictions in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.The country’s cumulative caseload now stands at 13.9 million, second to only the United States. The overall death toll is 172,085.The Indian capital New Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai are the worst-affected.Cities and towns from several states, including Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, reported shortages of intensive care (ICU) beds and oxygen supplies for critical patients.Local television channels showed the angry relatives of a patient who died after spending hours on a stretcher outside a Covid hospital in Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi, where all the beds were occupied.Similar scenes could be seen in Bihar’s capital, Patna. In Gujarat’s capital, Ahmedabad, there was a long line of ambulances where patients were being treated, as there was no space in the hospital.Delhi, which reported more than 13,000 new cases on Tuesday, is running short of ICU beds for Covid patients, with only about 171 with ventilators available late on Wednesday.A constant stream of hearses could be seen arriving at Nigambodh Ghat, one of the main crematoriums in the city, where the waiting time for a cremation at the electric crematorium was five to six hours, NDTV news channel reported.Two jumbo complexes for Covid-19 patients were being set up in Mumbai. Patients could be seen being treated in makeshift arrangements in corridors and lobbies of hospitals.Maharashtra - of which Mumbai is the capital - is the epicentre of the pandemic in India. It reported more than 60,000 new cases - almost 50 per cent of India’s total.The state government has initiated a range of curbs on movement, gatherings and commercial establishments for two weeks as infections continue to surge.Beginning at 8 pm (1430 GMT) on Wednesday, all shops, malls and e-commerce deliveries except of essential items like food, groceries and medicine were suspended until May 1.All manufacturing units except export-oriented one and those manufacturing essential items will also be closed.Bars and restaurants have already been closed and gatherings of more than five people are banned across the state.India saw a downward trend in infections starting at the end of 2020, but the numbers began rising again in mid-February.