COVID19: September ends with no deaths fourth day in a row

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Cyprus reported no coronavirus deaths for the fourth day in a row and the tenth day this month, with the number of new cases slightly up at 129 and hospitalisations edging down further to 79.

The health ministry said in its daily Covid bulletin that the death toll remained unchanged at 552, keeping the September total at 40, half the record 80 in August.

New cases continued to rise slightly to 129 from 123 the day before, while the number of patients currently admitted at state hospitals for treatment dropped by two to 79. Of these, 34 remain in serious condition, one less than the previous day.

Meanwhile, 14 patients remain intubated, while 66% of hospital patients are unvaccinated.

Another 11 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 120,272.

The number of PCR and antigen rapid tests conducted during the past 24 hours rose to 62,295, around 16,000 more than on Wednesday.

This included 11,959 tests at high schools, where testing is mandatory, and 1,595 tests of pupils at primary schools, all of whom were negative.

With a higher number of tests and 129 new infections, six more than the day before, the benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate dropped back to Tuesday’s level of 0.21% from 0.27% and remains well below the high-risk threshold of 1%.

Of the new cases, 39 were identified from contact tracing, linked to earlier infections, three were passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 28 were diagnosed from private initiative and hospital tests.

A further 52 cases were identified from private rapid tests at labs and pharmacies, and seven were positive from the free national testing programme, available only to those vaccinated or recovered from earlier infections.

All of the 757 tests on staff and residents at retirement homes had negative results, as were all 44 hotel guests and 764 tests at special schools.