Cyprus reported no deaths for the second day in a row, with the new coronavirus cases slightly up on Sunday and the number of patient admissions dangerously approaching hospitals’ capacity.
The health ministry said that 431 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Sunday, up from Saturday’s 404 and a significant drop from Friday’s three-month high of 705, taking the 13-month total to 47,713.
There were no deaths, with the April death toll at five and the to date total at 261. Some 25 people died in March and 30 in April, far from the December and January joint record of 76 deaths each.
However, the number of patient admissions continued to rise, reaching 210 on Sunday, of whom 48 are critical.
The total is up from the previous day’s 199, with the number of critical patients also rising from 45 on Friday and Saturday.
As school children returned to their classes on Friday, the mandatory weekly negative test was reinstated, with a near-record 54,842 tests conducted on Sunday, aided by the warm weather.
The day’s PCR tests and antigen rapid tests identified 84 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 through contact tracing linked to earlier infections, while 33 new cases were discovered from testing at private labs and hospitals.
For the first time in months, the capital Nicosia had more positive test results from the free national rapid testing programme, diagnosing 116 of the 314 new cases, followed by Limassol’s 114, a further 42 in Larnaca, 29 in Paphos and 10 in Famagusta district.
Second-dose vaccinations still at 5%
Meanwhile, with the inoculation programme for over 64s, diabetics and obese persons concluding during the past week, the health ministry said that to date 161,526 vaccinations have taken place.
Of these, 114,660 have had their first jab and only 46,866 have had their second dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine as well, less than 5% of the entire population.
The health ministry added about 6,374 people classified as ‘vulnerable groups’ have had their first dose, as have 521 bed-ridden patients, with the inoculation programme underway for persons in closed groups, including 158 inmates at the Central Prisons in Nicosia.
