Cyprus reported another 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death on Thursday as infections remain relatively high since restrictions were enforced to contain the outbreak.
A 78-year-old woman with underlying health conditions, who was being treated at Nicosia General Hospital ICU became the tenth person to die in Cyprus as a result of contracting COVID-19.
A total of 15 COVID-19 patients have passed away after being infected, but Cyprus health authorities have attributed only 10 of these deaths directly to coronavirus.
Seven men and three women have died from the virus with an average of 67.
Cyprus COVID-19 cases continue to rise for the third consecutive day as cases announced by the Health Ministry rose from 32 on Wednesday, 29 on Tuesday and 19 on Monday, taking the total to 564 since the outbreak last month.
Daily cases have been lower since reaching a peak of 58 on 1 April.
Health authorities said that 18 of the new cases came from tracing contacts of those already infected, and 13 are being investigated.
Dr Marios Loizou of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation said Thursday’s results included seven cases from the hotspot in Aradippou, a municipality in Larnaca.
Aradippou has the largest number of coronavirus cases in Cyprus, compared to its population.
Thursday’s 38 cases were detected from a total of 1,216 tests.
A total of 15,480 tests have been carried out which have resulted in 564 positive results, 413 cases were infected in Cyprus.
Dr Loizou said 30 people are being treated at COVID-19 referral hospital Famagusta General.
Three patients are in the Special Care Unit, five were discharged.
Twelve people are on life-support, two at Limassol General Hospital’s ICU and another 10 at the Nicosia ICU. Their condition is stable but critical.
He added that 53 people treated in hospitals have fully recovered.
He did, however, say that deaths from COVID-19 are expected to increase in the coming days as more people will be transferred to hospital ICUs.
Loizou said that although figures give out encouraging messages for the course of the virus in Cyprus, both in numbers of cases and people being treated, “we need to stick to decrees and instructions if we are to get the all-clear as a society”.
Turkish Cypriot authorities announced another COVID-19 case on Thursday, taking the total number of infections in the Turkish occupied north to 96 and three deaths.
Health services in the north have given the all-clear to 44 COVID-19 patients.
Divided Cyprus has 660 confirmed cases and 13 dead.
