KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 128.8 million coronavirus infections have been confirmed worldwide, with over 2.8 million people across 196 countries and territories having died. Majority of those infected have recovered.

Many countries have rolled out vaccine campaigns and started to inoculate citizens as economies struggle to recover.

— Jamaica recorded 306 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 39,543 and the confirmed death toll to 599.

— Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley yesterday night indicated that her government is looking at procuring other brands of vaccines for residents.

— Pfizer and BioNTech today said their COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective against the South African variant in the latest phase of ongoing clinical trials.

— Pfizer also reported that its vaccine continues to be effective against COVID-19 up to six months later, as it updated results from an ongoing late-stage study of more than 44,000 volunteers.

— In the United States, it was reported today that about 15 million doses of the single-shot coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson were ruined in a factory error.

— The World Health Organization today slammed Europe’s vaccine rollout as “unacceptably slow” and said it was prolonging the pandemic as the region sees a “worrying” surge in coronavirus infections.

— In Japan, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura today called for the Olympic torch relay leg in his city to be cancelled over rising coronavirus infections.

— The United States has so far recorded 552,073 deaths, making it the hardest-hit country. Meanwhile, Brazil has recorded 321,515 deaths, Mexico 203,210, India 162,927, and the United Kingdom 126,713.

Read the full stories here:

306 new COVID cases in Jamaica, 3 more deaths

Barbados gov’t considering other COVID-19 vaccines in addition to AstraZeneca

Pfizer/BioNTech say vaccine effective against S Africa variant

Vaccine effective up to 6 months later — Pfizer

US plant ruins 15m J&J coronavirus vaccine doses — report

Cancel Osaka’s Olympic torch relay leg over virus — governor

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.