India passes 300,000 coronavirus deaths as cases surge

A health worker takes the swab of a woman to test for Covid-19 in Burha Mayong village in the Morigaon district of Assam (Anupam Nath/AP/PA)

The Covid-19 death toll in India has passed 300,000 as a devastating surge of new infections shows no signs of easing.

The country’s health ministry on Monday reported 4,454 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing India’s total fatalities to 303,720.