KINGSTON, Jamaica — The novel coronavirus has infected more than 239 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 215 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths on Tuesday, bringing the infection total to 86,722 and the virus death toll to 2,059.

— According to the Pan American Health Organization, Jamaica is one of four Caribbean countries which is yet to vaccinate 20 per cent of their populations.

— The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it is wrestling with whether and when recipients of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine need another dose — at six months or as early as two months.

— The World Health Organisation unveiled Wednesday a proposed team of scientists tasked with looking at new pathogens and preventing future pandemics — plus reviving the stalled probe into COVID-19’s origins.

— Bermuda announced three more coronavirus deaths on Wednesday night after Premier David Burt issued a stark warning, saying residents who do not get vaccinated against COVID-19 “have elected to have a higher risk of serious illness”.

— Russia on Thursday reported a pandemic high for both new coronavirus infections and fatalities over 24 hours, with the country’s vaccination drive at a snail’s pace and few restrictions in place.

— Only one in seven COVID-19 infections in Africa are being detected, meaning the continent’s estimated infection level may be 59 million people, according to a new study by the World Health Organization.

— The United States is the worst-affected country with 719,530 deaths from 44,683,145 cases. After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 601,574 deaths from 21,597,949 cases, India with 451,435 deaths from 34,020,730 cases, Mexico with 283,193 deaths from 3,738,749 cases, and Russia with 220,315 deaths from 7,892,980 cases.

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