COVID19: One death, cases double to 706

Cyprus reported one coronavirus death on Monday, the fifth this month, as hospitalisations stabilised at 116, but new daily infections spiralled to 706.

The health ministry said that an 88 year old man was the latest victim of the pandemic, raising the death toll since March 2020 to 602.

Daily infections more than doubled to 706 from 307 the day before and slightly more than the 594 on Friday.

Hospitalisations dropped by three to 116, as serious cases were also reduced, at 41.

Intubated patients increased by two to 17, while 75% of hospital patients were reported as unvaccinated.

Four patients are considered post-Covid, having recovered from the virus, but remain intubated and in a serious state.

The total number of SARS-CoV-2 infections since March 2020 rose to 137,538.

 

More than 100,000 tests

Testing resumed at high levels following a weekend lull, with 100,991 PCR and antigen rapid tests on Monday, with 19,000 attributed to testing in schools on Monday.

Of the 7,886 tests in primary schools, 27 were positive for the virus and 15 new cases among 11,289 in high schools.

With a significant increase in tests and daily infections, the benchmark ‘test positivity’ rate shot up to 0.70%, from 0.54%, below the high-risk threshold of 1%.

Of the new infections, 32 were identified through contact tracing linked to earlier infections, 22 were passengers arriving at Larnaca and Paphos airports, and 121 were diagnosed from private initiative, hospital, and GP tests.

A further 412 cases were identified from private rapid tests at labs and pharmacies, and 119 were positive from the free national testing programme, available only to those vaccinated or recovered from earlier infections.

There were six positive cases among 1,142 tests in retirement homes, while all 830 samples from special schools were negative.