COVID19: Cyprus reports lowest cases for a month

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Cyprus on Friday reported its lowest number of new confirmed coronavirus infections for over a month as health authorities reported just 15 cases taking the total to 750 since the outbreak.

This is the lowest since 15 March when Cyprus reported 10 cases, the highest is 58 recorded on 1 April.

The 15 new COVID-19 cases – from 20 on Thursday – were detected from record 3,241 tests.

A total of 1723 of the tests were carried out within the scheme to test frontline workers, such as health professionals and those working in the food and beverage chain of supply.

These tests revealed 4 new coronavirus cases.

In the parallel routine tracing method, three people were identified after tests on contacts of known COVID-19 cases, while another two cases were identified through tests carried out at hospital labs.

Another six more cases involved health professionals employed at state hospitals.

Regarding frontline workers, the authorities have conducted 6,499 out of 20,000 planned tests.

Health authorities seek to complete the frontline testing scheme within 20 days since the start on April 11.

According to Friday’s data, the total number of cases is 750, including 10 in the British Bases.

These cases were detected from a total of 29,500 tests by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, the Microbiological Lab at Nicosia General Hospital and private labs.

Health Ministry advisor Dr Leontios Kostrikis said figures for the last three days have made health authorities feel confident about the future.

“We now have concrete results of the efforts being put in, not just indications.”

“If we continue in the same way then we are certain the news will get even better,” he said calling on people to abide by the stay at home decrees during Easter.

Dr Marios Loizou of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation said there are 19 patients being treated at Famagusta General referral hospital, three in the Special care unit. No patient was discharged on Friday.

There are nine patients on ventilators, three at Limassol General ICU and six at Nicosia General ICU. Four more patients are in Nicosia General Hospital’s ICU but not on life support.

The condition of all patients in the ICUs is critical but stable.

Loizou wanted to thank the public for their contribution to fighting the spread of the virus.

He urged the public to keep up the effort and refrain from family gatherings during Easter, no matter how small they are.

He noted that Cyprus was lucky that the government, with the guidance of its advisory committee, had taken strict measures at an early stage of the virus outbreak, unlike other countries.

“How well we did is illustrated by the following simple example. For years, the Cypriot patient had been looking abroad for medical help. During this pandemic, however, we experienced the exact opposite: the massive demand of our compatriots abroad to return home,” argued Loizou.