COVID19: 1 more death, 198 new cases as Cyprus deploys more testing

2795 views
2 mins read

 

A 75-year-old man died at the Covid-referral clinic of Famagusta General hospital on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 41, as Cyprus announced 198 new cases of SARS-CoV-2.

The health ministry said it conducted 7,049 tests, some 1,840 less than Tuesday when the infection rate topped 228.

This raises the total since the pandemic started to 7,711 with 77 patients being treated for coronavirus in state hospitals, three more than the previous day.

For the first time, the health ministry said that Wednesday’s infections tally included 14 new cases initially identified through the antigen rapid testing scheme and confirmed through the more reliable PCR method.

The rest of the 96 cases discovered through rapid testing during the previous two days, have yet to be confirmed through the PCR method.

Earlier in the day, the government said that three positive cases were discovered at the Presidential Palace, from among administrative staff and from the diplomatic office. It said that President Anastasiades has also been tested as a precautionary measure.

NIPD Genetics, a company tasked with conducting the free COVID-19 tests for residents and workers from Limassol and Paphos that have been subjected to a partial lockdown until the end of November due to the greater number of virus infections, said that it has set up four testing centres in Limassol and one in Paphos.

In Limassol, they are at the Spyros Kyprianou stadium from 8am to 7pm, and from 8am to 6pm at the former Pissarides centre near Ayia Fyla roundabout , Glafcos Clerides park on Americana street and at the Epameinontas market.

In Paphos, the tests are being conducted at the Paphiakos stadium from 8am to 6pm.

To be tested , it is imperative to have a document confirming employment in another town in order to be able to avoid the all-day curfew, together with an identity card or passport, as well as the sampling document available at https://bit.ly/3nAbYQ1 .

The health ministry said that the wide scale programme that started on Monday will continue for ten days and will include 50,000 tests.

The ministry added that the national antigen rapid testing programme is proceeding smoothly with 3,049 tests conducted at 11 mobile units and producing 48 positive cases.

Of these, 20 were identified in Limassol, 12 in Nicosia, 7 in Larnaca, 6 in Famagusta and 3 in Paphos. They were all informed within 30 minutes of the test and told to self-isolate.  Until the result is confirmed through the PCR method.

The government also announced on Wednesday that due to the growing public demand, especially among front-line workers who are in contact with the public, as of Thursday it would be deploying 16 mobile testing centres in all towns from 9am to 4 or 5pm.

These are:

Paphos – Sculpture Park Yeroskipou, Citizen’s Bureau on Eleftherios Venizelos and Peyia (10am – 3pm).

Limassol – Main Administration on Gregori Afxentiou square, Lidl parking on Franklin Roosevelt, Sigma parking on Ayias Fylaxeos and in Kolossi at the community stadium.

Larnaca – Leivadia at the Stelios Andreou supermarket parking.

Nicosia – Athienitis parking in Pallouriotissa, Eleftheria Square at the Ledra entrance, Alpha Mega parking in Engomi, in front of Coffee Island on the Stavrou and Iosif HadjiIosif junction, Ayios Georgios church in Latsia, Yeri municipality and Apostolos Varnavas church in Kokkinotrimithia.

Famagusta – at Onisilos club in Sotira.