COVID19: Paphos is worst hit area with 31% of cases

Paphos has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak in Cyprus as statistically, the impact of the disease on the district is four to five times bigger than the rest of the island, according to local doctors.

Paphos Medical Association, after evaluating the spread of the pandemic in their district said Paphos has seen the worst of the outbreak as a ratio of its population.

As of Monday, 36 of the 116 cases (31%) islandwide were in Paphos, with the majority of them linked to Paphos General Hospital.

The Paphos Medical Association said five of its members have contracted the virus and many health professionals have been instructed to self-isolate.

“Many cases were also detected among nurses, paramedical staff and patients in Paphos Hospital, with tertiary and quaternary infections already occurring,” said the association in a statement.

Local doctors argue that despite the diligent efforts of the Institute of Neurology and Genetics and the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit, laboratory testing and detection of suspicious cases is not up to speed.

“Paphos hospital’s capability to support the severely ill in intensive care units is very limited,” stressed the association.

It has appealed to the public to adhere religiously to the advice of experts and minimise their movements to protect public health.

The association has also called on all hospitals in the district, public and private, in cooperation with the state, to step up their efforts to stock essential supplies and set up the necessary infrastructure, to protect the public and health professionals.

“These measures will go a long way in stemming the spread of the virus in the district.”

The outbreak in Paphos took off after a large number of medical staff contracted coronavirus after a 65-year-old British patient in ICU tested positive for COVID-19.

The patient’s condition worsened soon after he was visited by a family who had just returned from the UK.

He also infected a fellow British patient, aged 70, who became the island’s first COVID-19 death.