KINGSTON, Jamaica — The novel coronavirus has infected more than 237.7 million people, leaving more than 4.8 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 258 new COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths on Sunday, bringing the infection total to 86,384 and the virus death toll to 2025.

— Drugmaker Merck asked US regulators Monday to authorise its pill against COVID-19 in what would add an entirely new and easy-to-use weapon to the world’s arsenal against the pandemic.

— Suriname is gearing for a demonstration on Tuesday as concerned citizens, church communities and trade unions protest against “coercion, medical discrimination, apartheid and hate speech” in relation to the government’s vaccination policy.

— The World Health Organisation’s vaccine advisers on Monday recommended people with weaker immune systems should be offered an additional dose of all authorised COVID-19 vaccines.

— Vaccination is highly effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19, even against the Delta variant, a vast study in France has shown.

— The United States is the worst-affected country with 713,350 deaths from 44,339,830 cases followed by Brazil with 601,011 deaths from 21,575,820 cases, India with 450,782 deaths from 33,971,607 cases, Mexico with 282,086 deaths from 3,723,235 cases, and Russia with 217,372 deaths from 7,804,774 cases.

Read full stories:

258 new COVID cases in Jamaica, 25 more deaths

Merck asks US FDA to authorise promising anti-COVID pill

Suriname gears up for protest, Caribbean countries continue to record COVID deaths

WHO experts back extra COVID jab for immunocompromised

Vaccines prevent severe COVID, even from Delta: study