Cyprus records four new deaths and 3,515 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, hospitalisations at 252

Cypriot health authorities on Tuesday announced four new deaths due to COVID-19 and 3,515 new cases, with total deaths and infections since the outbreak of the pandemic reaching 665 and 212,074 respectively.

Furthermore, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health, hospitalisations rose to 252 while patients treated in serious conditions in Intensive Treatment Units and Increased Care Units declined to 76 from 86 the day before.

A total of 105,376 tests were carried out on Tuesday, with the daily positivity rate amounting to 3.34%.

According to the Ministry of Health, the new fatalities concern two men aged 55 and 88 years old and two women aged 53 and 84 years old. All were receiving treatment in Nicosia General Hospital.

Total deaths since the beginning of the pandemic amount to 665, of whom 417 or 62.7% concern male patients and 248 or 37.3% female patients, with a median age of 75.9 years old.

Furthermore, patients receiving treatment in public hospitals amounted to 252, of whom 76 are being treated in serious condition. Of the patients in serious condition, 24 are intubated, 5 are in Intensive Treatment Units but are not connected to a ventilator and 47 patients are in Increased Care Units, the Ministry added.

Data show that 76.2% of the patients have no vaccination history, while 20 post-COVID patients who are no longer infectious are intubated in serious condition in Intensive Treatment Units.

According to the Ministry, the 3,515 new COVID cases were detected following 105,376 tests, of which 12,074 were PCR tests and 93,302 rapid antigen tests.

A total of 266 cases were detected from 2,270 samples taken in the context of contact tracing, 51 new cases were diagnosed from 2,711 tests done at the airports, 705 new infections were detected from 6,476 tests carried out at the private initiative, 55 new infections were diagnosed from 451 samples taken by General Hospitals’ Microbiology Labs,1,676 new cases were detected after 57,087 rapid tests were carried out in private labs and pharmacies, 754 new cases were diagnosed after 36,215 tests carried out in the context of the Ministry of Health rapid test programme, while 8 new infections were diagnosed from 166 samples taken in the context of GP referrals.

The total new cases include 17 new cases detected in the context of testing in elderly nursing homes and 87 new cases in high schools.