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COVID19: Cyprus cases nudge back up to 922

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Cyprus health authorities on Wednesday announced a rise in new COVID-19 cases from one the previous day to four, as the island prepares to unshackle itself from lockdown.

The four new cases were located among 1,984 coronavirus tests taking the confirmed total to 922.

Three infections were found from 78 tests on tracking contacts of already confirmed cases, while one more tested positive from 135 tests of special groups at public health centres.

Nobody tested positive out of 516 tests conducted on employees in the retail and construction sectors, 384 tests done privately, or from 271 tests at hospital labs, or 599 tests on students and school staff.

Member of the Health Ministry’s Epidemiological Monitoring Unit, virologist Dr Leontios Kostrikis said he was “very satisfied” with the data so far.

Kostrikis clarified that three of the people who tested positive were from tracing the family environment of one person who tested positive at a Nicosia school.

All other contacts from the school environment have tested negative.

On the second phase of easing lockdown measures on Thursday, Kostrikis said that Cyprus was entering a watershed moment in its fight against the disease.

“The second stage is a make or break point for a full return to normalcy and for this reason we kindly ask you to keep up the good work with the same determination so that we are not forced to take backward steps.”

Dr Marios Loizou of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation said four people are inpatients at Famagusta General, which operates as the reference hospital for COVID-19. One of the three patients is treated in the acute care unit.

Three patients are on a ventilator at Nicosia General Hospital ICU and one more patient is being treated in the same ICU but is breathing without the help of a ventilator.

Loizou said there was prejudice against people who have tested positive for coronavirus.

“Now that they have recovered and are returning back to society, they must not be stigmatized.”

“Every single one of us can easily contract the virus…no-one has tested positive out of choice.”