PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC)— Haiti has become the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country with the highest number of positive cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) after the French-speaking country recorded 77 news cases on Monday.

The Ministry of Public Health said that the new cases bring to 533, the number of people who have tested positive for the virus since the first case in Haiti on March 19.

It said that the death toll also increased to 21.

Jamaica had been the CARICOM country with the highest number of positive cases of the virus that was first detected in China last December and blamed for 315, 488 deaths and more than four million others being infected globally.

Jamaica on Monday said no new cases had been reported and that the total remained at 520 with nine deaths.

On Sunday, Haiti recorded nearly 100 positive cases and the Ministry of Public Health in its latest statement said that the number of active cases now stands at 491 cases with the number of suspected cases followed being 2,120 cases.

It said that the number of people hospitalised is 253 while 1,330 persons remain in quarantine at home.