COVID19: No deaths, patients and cases stabilise

Cyprus reported no deaths attributed to the coronavirus for the second consecutive day, while the number of hospitalisations continues to drop and the new daily infections have stabilised well below 100.

The death toll for May remains at 45 and 357 since the pandemic started.

The health ministry said in its daily Covid bulletin that 75 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Thursday, slightly up on Wednesday’s 69, but remaining below 100 throughout the week.

The improving epidemiological situation, boosted by the ongoing vaccination programme, also saw the number of hospital admissions dropping to 82 from 95 the day before, while the critical cases were also reduced by one at 34.

Some 44,513 PCR and antigen rapid tests were conducted on the day which, when factoring in the 75 new cases of SARS-CoV-2, generated a benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate of 0.17%, unchanged from the previous day.

In all, Cyprus has recorded 72,234 coronavirus infections during the past 14 months.

Of the new infections, 11 were identified through contact tracing linked to earlier cases of COVID-19, three tested positive among 2,479 tests among passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 13 were diagnosed from private lab and hospital tests.

A further 48 were discovered through the national rapid testing programme, with Limassol remaining in the lead.

The coastal town accounted for 21 new coronavirus cases, with a test positivity rate of 0.24, followed by 14 in Nicosia (0.11%), 4 in Larnaca (0.10%), 2 in Paphos (0.05%) and one in Famagusta district (0.05%).

All 513 samples taken from staff and residents at retirement homes tested negative, as did 932 samples from two industrial zones, with just two testing positive among 6,412 samples taken from teachers and students and in high schools.