India reports record coronavirus surge; Modi urges to abide by 4 things

Gulf Today Report

India reported a record 152,879 new coronavirus cases, health ministry data showed on Sunday, as a second-wave of infections continued to surge and overwhelm hospitals in parts of the country.

The number of new fatalities stood at 839, the most deaths in more than five months, taking the toll to 169,275.

India's tally of more than 13.35 million cases is the third-highest globally, behind only Brazil and the United States.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to abide by four things that include wearing of masks as well as motivating others to follow the norm in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister said: "We (countrymen) have to give special emphasis on personal hygiene as well as social hygiene".

For a successful fight against Covid-19, the Prime Minister stressed on the need to follow four things: "Each One-Vaccinate One", "Each One-Treat One", "Each One-Save One" and "Micro Containment Zone".

A woman leaves after receiving her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India, on Friday. AP

India leads the world in the daily average number of new infections reported, accounting for one in every six infections reported globally each day, according to a Reuters tally.

Daily cases have set record highs six times this week, according to data from the federal health ministry.

India's tally of more than 13.35 million cases is the third-highest globally, behind only Brazil and the United States.

Commuters are pictured on a partially deserted road during a night curfew in Mumbai on Friday. AFP

The administration in western Maharashtra state, which is home to the financial capital Mumbai and has the highest number of cases in the country, said it may impose additional measures beyond a weekend lockdown that will end early on Monday.

"To break the COVID transmission chain, it is imperative that strict restrictions must be imposed for a certain period of time," Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said late on Saturday.

Authorities have blamed the resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks, even as massive election rallies and large religious gatherings have continued in recent weeks.

Thousands of people thronged the banks of the holy Ganges River in the northern city of Haridwar on Sunday for morning prayers during the Kumbh Mela - where up to five million are expected on certain days.

Authorities have made it mandatory for all people entering the area to do COVID-19 tests. But many devotees on Sunday gathered by the riverside without masks, standing in densely-packed crowds.