India's death toll from coronavirus crosses 400,000; vaccination drive falters

FILE PHOTO: A healthcare worker holding a rose receives an AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 16, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD (Reuters) -India's official death toll from the coronavirus reached 400,000 on Friday, though experts say the actual number of dead could have reached one million or even higher, with a possible third wave approaching.

India added 100,000 deaths in 39 days, a Reuters tally showed, as a brutal second wave of infections swept across cities and into the vast countryside where millions remain vulnerable without a single shot of vaccine.