India reports new coronavirus variant as daily deaths reach year’s high

India has reported a new potentially troublesome variant of the coronavirus as it struggled with the highest single-day tally of new infections and deaths this year.

The variant, described by officials as a “double mutant”, has been found in more than 200 samples in the hardest-hit western state of Maharashtra, which is home to India’s financial capital of Mumbai.

Epidemiologists said the term “double mutant” refers…