Cyprus reported no coronavirus deaths for the second day in a row on Wednesday and for the fifth time this month, amid improving data and increasing vaccinations, especially among the elderly.
Walk-in vaccination centres at state hospitals are currently administrating COVID-19 booster shots to people aged over 86.
However, Amalia Hadjiyianni, scientific director of Famagusta General, the Covid-19 referral hospital, said the average age for hospital admissions has started to climb, partly attributed to the protection offered by the vaccines gradually waning over time.
The health ministry said in its daily Covid bulletin that 548 people have died since the pandemic started, of whom 36 were recorded in September.
40 remain in serious condition
New cases dropped to 106 from 117 the day before, while the number of patients currently admitted at state hospitals for treatment dropped by five to 89. Of these, 40 remain in serious condition, one more from the previous day.
Meanwhile, 15 patients remain intubated, while 74% of hospital patients are unvaccinated.
Another 10 patients are considered post-Covid, having recovered from the virus, but remain intubated and in a serious state.
The total number of all SARS-CoV-2 infections since March 2020 rose to 119,336.
The number of PCR and antigen rapid tests conducted during the past 24 hours dropped to 50,579, around 3,400 less than Tuesday. This included 12,592 tests of high school students and teachers, only one of whom tested positive.
With a lower number of tests and fewer 106 new infections, 11 less than the day before, the benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate improved further to 0.21% from 0.22% and remains well below the high-risk threshold of 1%.
Of the new cases, 12 were identified from contact tracing, linked to earlier infections, one was a passenger arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 35 were diagnosed from private initiative and hospital tests.
A further 34 cases were identified from private rapid tests at labs and pharmacies, and 24 were positive from the free national testing programme, available only to those vaccinated or recovered from earlier infections.
All of the 587 tests on staff and residents at retirement homes had negative results, as were 36 guests tested at hotels.
Of the 99 random rapid tests at airports, only one was tested as infected with Covid-19.
