An elderly man died after being rushed from the Limassol care home where 35 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 were reported on Monday, raising the total new infections for the day to 197 and the year to date figure to 4,760.
The health ministry said that the 91 year old man “with an acute medical history” was taken to the Famagusta General reference hospital a few days ago and died of septic shock. He was the second patient admitted to hospital from the same elderly care home who has died in recent days,
Cyprus has had 34 deaths of patients who had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, of whom 26 had COVID-19 as the final cause of death.
Of the terminal cases, 17 were male and 9 were female, with the average age at 73 years.
In all 40 patients are being treated at special wards in state hospitals, with officials warning that the health system is already being strained.
Nearly half of Monday’s coronavirus cases were identified through contact tracing, with eight new infections found among passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
Earlier in the day, the health ministry said it discovered 35 COVID-19 cases at a care home in Limassol following targeted testing of residents and staff.
The results were found among 106 test samples collected on Sunday by the staff of the state health services organisation (OKYPY).
It followed the alarming results of positive COVID-19 samples initially found through rapid tests at the home.
The ministry ordered health services to have everyone at the ‘Sokration Melathron’ home tested.
A 91-year-old woman who died on Saturday from COVID-19 had been a resident at the home.
The home’s management had earlier on Monday come under fire from the woman’s relatives who accused it of not following protocols after a nurse had been found positive for the virus more than a week ago.
The Famagusta district tax office also closed for two days after a positive coronavirus case was discovered there.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry issued a notice advising Cyprus citizens in Greece wishing to return home to contact the various consular office to arrange for their travels after Greece announced a 14-day lockdown in parts of the country.
“Regardless of the measures that will be enforced from Tuesday, November 3 for a period of 14 days, all those who had preplanned or wish to be repatriated to Cyprus will be allowed to travel internally to all airports, including the Eleftherios Venizelos in Athens, to depart from there to Cyprus,” the ministry said.
Travellers are urged to contact their travel agency or airline to receive the relative information.
The ministry has also published the contact numbers for consular offices in Greece, adding that all passengers travelling to Cyprus must complete the procedures as posted on the web portal www.cyprusflightpass.gov.cy.
The foreign ministry added that all Cyprus nationals living abroad should also register their contact details on the database at www.connect2cy.gov.cy or to update their information there.
