KINGSTON, Jamaica — The novel coronavirus has infected more than 214.5 million people, leaving more than 4.4 million dead across 196 countries and territories.

The majority of those infected have recovered and many countries have rolled out vaccine campaigns as economies start to recover from the pandemic.

— Jamaica recorded 605 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 12 deaths, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 64,899 and the death toll to 1,465.

— In Barbados, children between the ages of 12 and 18 years old will begin to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday.

— The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Thursday recommended that member countries adopt a phased approach to reopening schools for face-to-face learning in the 2021/22 academic year, in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

— A large-scale study by researchers from the University of Oxford on Friday found that the risk of rare blood clotting after receiving COVID-19 jabs is far lower than the risk of blood clotting from the virus.

— A new Chinese study calling for a better understanding of the pandemic’s long-term health effects, on Thursday, revealed that fatigue and shortness of breath still afflict many patients a year after their hospitalisation for COVID-19.

— The US is the worst-affected country with 633,564 deaths, followed by Brazil with 577,565, India with 436,861, Mexico with 256,287 and Peru with 198,064.

Read the full stories:

605 new COVID cases recorded in Jamaica, 12 deaths

Barbados gov’t to begin rollout of Pfizer vaccine for children age 12 and up

PAHO advises caution in reopening schools

Clot risk far lower from vaccines than virus — UK study

COVID symptoms last a year for many patients – study

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.