The novel coronavirus has infected more than 253.7 million people, leaving more than five 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 on Monday reported 30 new cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths, which brings the country’s virus death toll to 2,331 and the total number of confirmed cases to 90,341.

—  The Antigua and Barbuda government is exploring stem cell therapy as a means of treating persons suffering from COVID-19.

— Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are making combined profits of US$65,000 every minute from their highly successful COVID-19 vaccines while the world’s poorest countries remain largely unvaccinated, according to a new analysis.

— Drugmaker Pfizer Inc has signed a deal with a UN-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental COVID-19 pill, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of the world’s population.

— Public officers in Belize have until December 15 to show proof that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19) or face the risk of being marked absent from work and subject to disciplinary action.

— The United States is the worst-affected country with 764,365 deaths from 47,221,647 cases. After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 611,346 deaths from 21,960,766 cases, India with 463,852 deaths from 34,456,401 cases, Mexico with 291,204 deaths from 3,846,508 cases, and Russia with 257,837 deaths from 9,145,912 cases.

Read the full stories here

30 new COVID-19 cases in Jamaica, two more deaths

Antigua looking to stem cell therapy to treat with COVID cases

Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna making $1,000 profit every second: analysis

Pfizer agrees to let other companies make its COVID-19 pill

Belize gives public officers a deadline to get vaccinated