06/04/2020 09:07
Authorities in Cyprus announced on Sunday the death of one more patient who was infected with COVID-19, a 76-year-old man. Moreover 20 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were announced, bringing their total number to 446, including 10 in the British Bases.
According to the authorities, the death of the 76-year-old man was the result of other serious health problems he was facing. The total number of people who died in Cyprus since the pandemic broke out, is 13, out of which nine are due to COVID-19.
The new cases were confirmed after 792 tests were carried out.
Eighteen of the cases were traced among the contacts of people who have already contracted COVID-19. The medical record of the other two is under investigation.
Speaking during a press conference, at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Leontios Kostrikis, member of the Advisory Body on the pandemic, said with regard to 21 persons whose medical record was under investigation that 17 of them have been found to be connected with a confirmed case, while for the other four the investigation continues.
Moreover, he said that the 446 COVID-19 cases were confirmed after 10.946 tests were carried out by the Cyprus Neurology and Genetics Institute, the Microbiological Department of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation hospitals and private labs. Out of the 446 cases 317 people were infected through contacts in Cyprus. A total of 37 people who tested positive to the virus and were admitted to hospital have been cured.
Referring to the tests carried out by the NIPD Genetics lab, a private lab, in Paphos and Aradippou, Kostrikis said that today they had one more confirmed case in Aradippou after 178 tests were carried out, while as regards Paphos, there are no results to be announced yet.
Kostrikis said that the method of tracing the contacts of confirmed cases is considered very effective worldwide and that due to the small number of Cyprus’ population this method is even more effective here.
However, as he noted, epidemiologists are not informed properly during the process of tracing contact, and there are citizens who avoid giving details about their contacts.
He warned that by doing so people do not protect their friends and their beloved ones whom they might have infected and called on people to give all necessary information.
Commenting on the fact that since April 1st, the day with the highest number of confirmed cases so far (58 cases), the number of cases confirmed has been declining each day, Kostrikis said that it would be premature for scientists to say that this is a sign that contamination with the virus is slowing down.
However, he expressed optimism about the effectiveness of the restrictive measures being implemented.
On his part, Dr Marios Loizou, the Scientific Director at the Nicosia Directorate of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation, said that the total number of people who tested positive to the virus and died is 14. The death of nine of them, seven men and two women, with an average age of 66 years old, was caused by COVID-19.
Loizou noted that until 1500 local time on Sunday, 36 people were treated at Famagusta General Hospital which is the reference hospital for COVID-19 patients. Four of them are receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, while four people were dismissed from the hospital.
Moreover a total of eleven persons are now on breathing machines, three at Limassol General Hospital Intensive Care Unit and eight at Nicosia General Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Their condition is currently stable but critical. Eight COVID-19 cases are treated in a hospital ward and their condition is stable.
Loizou said that according to the epidemiological analysis presented on Thursday 5% of the cases in Cyprus have been hospitalized so far, while 2% of the number of persons who were infected by the virus have died.
Loizou said that these numbers are lower than the average numbers worldwide and stressed that the effort is to improve the situation further.
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