Health Minister urges for discipline in order to prevent pandemic surge

Cyprus Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has said that discipline and resolve the Cypriot people have proven they have in implementing measures and protocols are the best weapons in our disposal to prevent a surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an address, delivered on his behalf by Dr Giorgos Charalambous at the 6th annual conference on public health, organised by Cyprus University of Technology’s (CUT) Cyprus International Institute on Environmental and Public Health, which took place online on Tuesday, Ioannou spoke of the steps taken and measures in place to prevent the pandemic in Cyprus.

Following the peak of the pandemic last April, he noted, Cyprus managed to push through with the least possible losses having shown great persistence and patience. “Today the epidemiological picture presents positive elements despite surges of cases at times,” he said, adding that developments are volatile around the world.

Excessive laxness and complacency can lead us to derail from our goal, he stressed and spoke of the importance of the “engagement of society in this great fight.”

“The discipline we have proven that we have as a people and the responsibility in implementing measures and protocols are the weapons in our disposal right now to prevent a great surge of cases which could likely have uncontrollable consequences,” the Minister of Health noted.

Addressing the conference on behalf of ECDC Dr Agoritsa Baka spoke of the pan-European plan to tackle the pandemic. Referring to Cyprus she said that there is a steadily small percentage of positive COVID-19 cases, adding however that in contrast with March and April now the people infected belong to a younger age group (20 – 40).

Georgios Nikolopoulos, Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Cyprus’ Medical School, outlined the epidemiological health data collected in the country, adding that Cyprus maybe does the most tests in the world, on a population ratio daily (about 2,000 – 3,000). 

On her part Fofi Constantinidou, Professor of the Psychology Department at University of Cyprus presented the findings of a survey conducted during lockdown, according to which one in four adults in Cyprus, approximately 23%, had high levels of stress compared to other times, when the percentage ranged between 1 -4%. At the same time, 67% of people who took part in the survey said that their quality of life changed a lot during lockdown.