COVID19: Cyprus cases 11, 5 from Hungary

Cyprus confirmed 11 more Covid-19 infections on Thursday after a lower than the average number of 2,755 tests carried out taking total cases to 1,467 since the outbreak.

The total figure was readjusted after health authorities removed some 28 false-positive cases reported on Monday, for which samples were found to be tainted.

Thursday’s cases follow Wednesday’s 10, with the daily tally remaining relatively high, although most cases are ‘imported’.

Six of Thursday’s new infections had a travel history while four local infections were reported to be relatives of known cases.

Of those with a travel history, five had arrived from Hungary on Wednesday on two different flights.

Three passengers arrived from Budapest and two from Debrecen, they were detected after being randomly tested at the airport. They reported no symptoms.

Hungary is a category A country on the safe travel list, meaning no COVID test is required prior to entry.

Some 1,619 tests were carried out at the island’s airports.

A sixth case involved a person with a recent travel history to the United States.

He had returned on 16 August, self-isolated and was tested at a private lab before ending his quarantine. The individual did not report any symptoms.

Regarding new cases found through the tracing of contacts of known cases, one case was infected by her husband, another from his parents who also transmitted the virus to two more family members.

Another positive case involved a person who was tested on the request of their employer.

According to the Health Ministry, five patients are now being treated at the COVID-19 referral hospital Famagusta General, one of them is in the Acute Care Unit. One patient was discharged on Wednesday evening.

One other patient is on a ventilator at Nicosia General’s Intensive Care Unit.