KINGSTON, Jamaica — The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections worldwide has surpassed 39.7 million, with over 1.1 million people across 196 countries and territories having died and over 27.3 million having recovered from the virus. Many countries have eased restrictions on movement and social gathering, but in recent weeks some have had to reimpose measures due to a resurgence in the number of infections.

— Jamaica recorded three new COVID-related deaths and 79 new cases of the illness in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 8,274 and the death toll to 171. The health ministry also reported 206 more patient recoveries.

— Japanese researchers revealed today that the coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours, five times longer that the flu, which they said shows the need for frequent hand-washing to combat COVID-19.

— In South Africa, the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus yesterday topped 700,000, another grim milestone for the continent’s worst-hit country.

— New Zealand today confirmed a new community case of COVID-19, two weeks after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that the South Pacific nation had “beat the virus again”.

— The United States has so far recorded 219,289 deaths, making it the hardest-hit country. Meanwhile, Brazil has recorded 153,675 deaths, India 114,031, Mexico 86,059 and Britain 43,579.

Read the full stories here:

79 new cases as 3 more die from COVID-19

Coronavirus survives on skin five times longer than flu — study

South Africa passes 700,000 coronavirus cases

ARE WE FLATTENING THE CURVE?here for interactive chart* with details on Jamaica’s numbers.here for a look at the numbers globally.

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*Data mined from various sources around the world.