Cyprus reported no coronavirus deaths for the second day in a row on Friday, as new daily cases and hospitalisations increased slightly to 144 and 64, respectively.
The health ministry said in its Covid bulletin that the death toll remained unchanged at 557 since the pandemic started in March last year, of which five were recorded in October.
September saw 40 deaths and a total of ten days of no deaths, while August broke the record with 80 people dying with Covid-19 as the direct cause.
New cases rose to 144 from 131, while the number of patients currently admitted at state hospitals for treatment increased by four from 60 to 64. Of these, 20 remain in serious condition, two fewer from the previous day.
Meanwhile, 11 patients remain intubated, and 59% 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 121,136.
The number of PCR and antigen rapid tests conducted during the past 24 hours was lower at 55,413, around 1,100 fewer than Thursday.
High schools
This included 12,443 tests at high schools, of whom five tested positive, as well as 2,312 tests at primary schools, where three tested positive.
With a slightly lower number of tests and 144 new infections, 13 more than the day before, the benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate rose to 0.26% from 0.23% and remains well below the high-risk threshold of 1%.
Of the new cases, 19 were identified through contact tracing linked to earlier infections, ten were passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 32 were diagnosed from private initiative and hospital tests.
A further 57 cases were identified from private rapid tests at labs and pharmacies, and 26 were positive from the free national testing programme, available only to those vaccinated or recovered from earlier infections.
All of the 492 tests on staff and residents at retirement homes had a negative result, as did 188 tests at confined institutions and special schools, as well as 37 tests at hotels.
Of the 357 random rapid tests of passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, only one tested positive.
