COVID19: Cyprus deaths reach 250, cases surpass 44,300

There were two Cyprus COVID-19 deaths recorded on Saturday, taking the total since the pandemic last year to 250, while total infections surpassed 44,300 as authorities grapple with a second wave.

In its daily bulletin, the Health Ministry said that two men died, aged 71 and 79, raising the death toll since the pandemic started to 250. And 19 deaths were recorded in March.

The man aged 71 had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while the 79-year-old had not.

To date, 167 (67%) of the deaths were men and 83 women, with an average age of 79.

The ministry said that 193 patients are currently treated at six state hospitals, less than the 196 on Friday, and 51 are critical, down from 53 the day before.

New coronavirus cases fell on Saturday, with 334 infections announced, down from 361 on Friday, but remain relatively high.

The 334 daily cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed from 44,305 tests resulted in a test positivity rate of 0.77%, the same level as Friday.

The total of all infections since the pandemic started is now 44,305.

The 334 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 included 92 identified from contact tracing; three tested positive among 673 samples from passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 63 from private labs and state hospital tests.

A further 155 new cases were diagnosed from free national antigen rapid tests with Limassol again with the most cases.

There were 60 cases detected in Limassol with a positivity rate of 0.54%, 48 in Nicosia (0.34%), 36 in Larnaca (0.56%), 4 in the Famagusta district (0.20%) and 4 in Paphos (0.09%).

Only two positive cases were diagnosed from 61 tests of staff and residents at Nicosia care homes.