Cyprus Health Ministry announced on Thursday 2 deaths from COVID, 635 new cases and 139 hospitalisations. Total deaths rose to 607 and of cases to 139,368. The positivity rate stands at 0.72%.

Of the 139 patients receiving hospital treatment, 44 are in a serious condition and according to figures 76.65% of the patients are unvaccinated.

The Ministry said that 5 post-COVID patients who are no longer infectious are getting treatment in an ICU and their condition is serious. The new cases were detected from a total of 87,780 tests (rapid and PCR).

The deceased are a female 84 years old who passed away today at the ICU of Nicosia General Hospital and a female 86 years old who passed away at a nursing home a year ago (December 20, 2020) and as the Ministry notes her death was detected during the checks done by the Health Monitoring Unit for deaths that occurred in 2020.

Of the 607 deaths 389 are male (64.1%) and 218 female (35.9%) and the median age is 75.8 years.

From the 44 patients in serious condition, 15 are intubated, 4 are in an ICU and 25 in an ACU.

Today 11,498 tests were PCR and 76,282 rapid and the new cases were detected as follows: 114 from 1,234 tests done in the framework of contact tracing, 11 from 3,879 tests done at airports, 100 from 6,014 samples taken on private initiative, 7 from 297 tests run by the microbiology labs of general hospitals, 274 from 44,751 rapid tests done at private labs and pharmacies,128 from 31,531 rapid tests in the framework of the Health Ministry`s free program, 1 from 74 samples taken following GP referrals or testing at public clinics.

From the Ministry`s free rapid test program 14 cases were detected at primary schools and 19 at high schools.