Twenty-six new samples have tested positive for COVID-19 in Jamaica, bringing the island’s total number of confirmed cases to 422.

In addition, one more person was reported to have succumbed to the virus on Thursday, bringing the country’s total number of  fatalities to eight. 

According to an official statement from Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, the deceased is a 63 year old woman from the St. Catherine Parish. Nearly half of the country’s cases have been recorded from within the parish, beginning with a cluster of cases of employees from a call centre operating in Portmore.