COVID19: Limassol General, care home drive Cyprus cases

New coronavirus infections in Cyprus remain stubbornly high, as health authorities reported another 21 cases on Thursday related to football, family, hospital clusters and travel.

There are signs of clusters beginning to form at Limassol General Hospital and a care home.

The 21 new cases reported on Thursday were found after 3,133 tests were carried out, bringing the total of COVID-19 infections to 1,918.

Worryingly, four infections were found at Limassol General, forming a new cluster at Cyprus’ second-largest state hospital.

The four cases involving health professionals at the Limassol General include a trainee nurse, two radiologists and a person employed at the hospital’s Microbiological Laboratory.

Five more cases were linked to already known clusters, three were related to a cluster formed around a grassroots football coach at Nicosia-based Doxa FC.

One involves a fellow coach, while two were close contacts of the first coach.

Two more cases were linked to a care home for people with special needs. This cluster now numbers 10 infections.

Another seven positive tests were travel related.

Out of these, two involve Latvian tourists who came to Cyprus on Saturday with a negative test in hand, one of them reporting symptoms on the same day.

Three others came from Athens plus two arrivals from Munich, Germany.

Five more cases involved people who tested privately after developing symptoms such as fatigue, sore throat and fever.

The Health Ministry said that six patients are being treated for SARS-CoV-2 at Famagusta General, one of whom is in the hospital’s Acute Care Unit.

Two more remain intubated in intensive care at Nicosia General.