India has recorded more than 15 million COVID-19 cases

• India's recorded coronavirus cases have surpassed 15 million.
• The country's outbreak is rapidly worsening, reporting more than 273,000 new infections on Monday.
• A new variant has been identified there, and officials are investigating how worrying it might be.

India has recorded more than 15 million cases of the coronavirus, as it battles a new coronavirus variant.

As of Monday, India had recorded 15,061,805 cases of the coronavirus and more than 178,700 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

It reported 273,810 new infections on Monday.

That means it has the world's second-highest number of cases and has second-highest death toll - behind only the US on both counts.

Officials are investigating if the new variant found there spreads easier or makes vaccines less effective than other dominant forms of the virus. The country's vaccination rollout has also been relatively slow.

The Indian capital of New Delhi will be put in a six-day lockdown from Monday night, with the city's health minister saying that its healthcare system could break.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled his planned trip to India. Both countries said in a joint statement that the cancellation was due to "the current coronavirus situation."