Jamaica has confirmed 22 cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says 60 samples were sent to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Out of those samples they received results for 40, and 22 were positive for the Delta variant.
Jamaica has recorded 289 new COVID-19 infections and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The total number of infections is now 59,377 and deaths, 1,339.
Jamaica is expecting to receive its 1st of 3 tranches of Pfizer vaccines from the US on Thursday.
The first shipment is expected to contain over 200,000 doses.
Children and teens will be prioritised for these vaccinations.
The COVID-19 pandemic will likely ensure that heart disease and stroke will continue to be the top killer in the United States, the American Heart Association (AHA) said in a statement this week. The announcement was prompted by provisional data released by the CDC indicating that COVID-19 is now ranked as the third-leading cause of death in the US. “Heart disease remains at the top spot and stroke remains at number five. However, the influence of COVID-19 will directly and indirectly impact rates of cardiovascular disease prevalence and deaths for years to come, AHA President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, said in the press statement. In Australia, which managed to keep COVID-19 outbreaks mostly at bay in the first year of the pandemic, nearly half the population is now facing some form of lockdown following a surge in the Delta cases. Just 29% percent of people there have received at least one vaccine dose and 11% are fully vaccinated, according to a