India has passed eight million covid-19 cases and is now bracing for a new wave in the pandemic. The world's second-worst-hit country has also had over 120 000 deaths across the country of 1.3 billion people, according to the latest government figures. The United States has seen over 9.1 million cases and more than 230,000 deaths. India has one of the world's lowest death rates and the number of new infections has slowed in recent days but authorities are bracing themselves for a new surge after the upcoming Diwali festival next month and with the onset of winter.
