COVID19: No deaths, 60 patients, rise in cases

Cyprus reported no deaths attributed to Covid-19 on Thursday, with the number of new infections rising to 131 and hospitalisations marginally up to 60.

The health ministry said that the death toll since the pandemic started in March last year remained unchanged at 557.

New cases rose to 131 from 100, while the number of patients currently admitted at state hospitals for treatment increased by one from 59 to 60. Of these, 22 remain in serious condition, one more from the previous day.

Meanwhile, 12 patients remain intubated, while 57% of hospital patients are unvaccinated.

Another 11 patients are still 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 120,992.

The number of PCR and antigen rapid tests conducted during the past 24 hours was lower at 56,507, around 10,000 more than Wednesday.

This included 12,441 tests at high schools, of whom four tested positive in Nicosia, as well as 1,667 tests at primary schools, where only one tested positive.

With a higher number of tests and 131 new infections, 31 more than the day before, the benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate rose to 0.23% from 0.21% and remains well below the high-risk threshold of 1%.

Of the new cases, 10 were identified through contact tracing linked to earlier infections, four were passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 45 were diagnosed from private initiative and hospital tests.

A further 55 cases were identified from private rapid tests at labs and pharmacies, and 17 were positive from the free national testing programme, available only to those vaccinated or recovered from earlier infections.

All of the 778 tests on staff and residents at retirement homes had a negative result, as did 1,990 tests at confined institutions and special schools, as well as 39 tests at hotels.

Of the 159 random rapid tests of passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, only one tested positive.