Jamaica’s fifth coronavirus (COVID-19) wave has hit a new high in the last 24 hours, with the Ministry of Health and Wellness confirming 336 new infections.

According to the health ministry’s clinical management summary for May 13, the country has 132,316 cumulative COVID-19 cases.

Cases were recorded in all 14 parishes, with Kingston and St Andrew (78), St Catherine (51), St James (46) and St Ann (38) accounting for the lion’s share.

Per ministry data, Jamaica is currently managing 1,892 active cases over the past two weeks. The positivity rate, which gauges the number of confirmed cases against samples tested, now hovers at 30.3 per cent—the highest since May 12.

The Jamaican COVID death toll is just shy of a new, sombre milestone as four fatalities, spanning January 2021 and January 2022, bring the tally to 2,999.

There are officially 85,000 coronavirus-related recoveries, while patient hospitalisations stand at 67, 81 per cent of which are unvaccinated.

The ministry has classified 12 patients as ‘moderately ill’, five others listed as ‘severely ill’, and two more determined to be ‘critically ill’.

Dr Brian James, president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), sounded alarm bells on Tuesday that the BA.2 Omicron subvariant may be fuelling a renewed islandwide spike in cases.

• READ: Jamaica now experiencing 5th COVID-19 wave, warns MAJ President