COVID19: Cyprus death toll rises to 19, no new cases

Another COVID-19 patient died in Cyprus, health authorities announced on Thursday, taking the total number of deaths directly caused by coronavirus to 19 since the outbreak in March.

There were no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 for a third day running.

A total of 1,074 tests returned negative results so the number remains at 985.

The Health Ministry said the patient who died was being treated at Nicosia General Hospital Intensive Care Unit.

He was a 65-year-old man who had other health issues, but the underlying cause of death was COVID-19.

The number of patients who have died after contracting COVID-19 is now 26 but only 19 were directly caused by the virus.

Of those 19, 13 were men and six were women with an average age of 71.

From the 1,074 negative tests, 276 were conducted on people who were recently repatriated or arrived in the island on a commercial flight, 74 were conducted on school students and teaching staff, and 178 tests were carried out on employees of businesses which reopened during the second and third stage of easing the lockdown.

Also coming back negative were 31 tests carried out on contacts of known cases, 118 samples from state hospital labs and 107 tests made on referral from GPs.

Currently, one patient is still hospitalized at the reference hospital, Famagusta General, as one patient was discharged on Thursday.

Following the death of a patient treated at the Nicosia General ICU, just one patient is being treated in ICU without the support of a ventilator.