COVID19: Cyprus cases remain stubbornly in double figures

Cyprus on Friday confirmed another 14 new COVID-19 cases from 3,539 tests carried out bringing the total number of infections to 1,222 and 19 deaths.

Since lifting travel restrictions and limits on social gatherings, Cyprus has seen COVID-19 steadily spread within the community with the majority of cases aged under 40.

Four of the new infections have a recent travel history with three cases involving Cypriots who returned from the USA, Sweden and the Greek island of Paros.

The other one involved a traveller arriving from Finland with symptoms on 29 July.

Four more cases were connected to previously identified COVID-19 infections with the Health Ministry not clarifying whether they are related to the clusters in Larnaca or Limassol.

They were identified out of 218 tests carried out on contacts of known cases, with two of the cases, however, being tested privately.

Another four cases involved employees who returned to work during the second and third stage of lifting the lockdown.

They were detected after some 239 tests were carried out within the framework of a 10,000 free testing scheme by the Health Ministry.

Another case was a person who was referred by their GP after developing symptoms.

According to the Health Ministry, there are now four patients being treated at Famagusta General, the reference hospital for COVID-19.

They are said to be in a stable condition.

Turkish Cypriot authorities also reported one more case taking their total of COVID-19 infections in the Turkish occupied north to 163 and four deaths.

Combined, divided Cyprus has 1,385 coronavirus cases and 23 deaths.