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One more patient dies of covid19, 36 new cases on Thursday

03/04/2020 10:12

A female patient died Thursday from covid19, the authorities announced during a press conference at the Health Ministry. The patient, aged 77, was hospitalized at the ICU of Limassol General Hospital. Total deaths are 10 (8 males, 2 females). The confirmed cases today are 36, bringing the total to 356.

Dr Marios Loizou, Scientific Director at the Nicosia Directorate of the Cyprus State Health Services Organisation said that the female who passed away had pre-existing health conditions. The median age of people who died is 69.
 
He said that as of 1500 local time today, 35 patients were hospitalized at the Famagusta Reference Hospital, five of which are in the ICU. Three patients were discharged. Nine people are intubated, two at the Limassol ICU and 7 in Nicosia.
Their health condition is described as stable but critical.

He also spoke of a ray of light as one patient was taken off intubation care and his condition is stable.
 
Professor Nikolopoulos who presented the National Report on the pandemic said that the number of patients in ICUs is approximately 5% of all the cases confirmed.
 
Dr Loizou said that we are in the fourth month of the pandemic and in the next days the number of cases globally is estimated to reach 1 million and the deaths will reach 50.000.
 
He pointed out that social distancing is of the utmost importance especially at our workplaces. As he underlined, there is no point to isolate at home when at work we don’t follow the basic rules.
 
He was also invited to say whether there is a risk in giving the patients drugs with known side effects, via phone. He said that Cyprus is following international protocols on drug prescriptions.
 
Dr. Leontios Kostrikis, member of the Advisory Body on the pandemic, said that of the 36 new cases, in total of 603 tests, the 24 were traced back to contacts of confirmed cases, one is a person who returned to Cyprus from abroad, while 11 cases are still under investigation.

He also said that 22 of the 32 cases that were announced yesterday and whose origin is being investigated, are related to confirmed cases.

Dr Kostrikis also said that the 356 cases were confirmed from a total of 8.779 tests by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, the Microbiological Lab at Nicosia General Hospital and private labs.
227 cases out of 356 were traced back to contacts.
 
He went on to say that today’s number of confirmed cases is smaller than yesterday but it is still a large number and he called once again on citizens to be extra vigilant and to follow the instructions given by the authorities.

Replying to a question about Paphos area and Aradippou Municipality where high numbers of cases are recorded, Dr Kostrikis described these places as hotspots, but clarified that no decision has been taken as to whether covid19 patients in these two areas should be placed in quarantine instead of self-isolation. He said however that special consideration should be given to the issue.