The Health Ministry announced on Saturday that another 17 people have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 179 (including five in the British Bases).
Cyprus also counts five deaths from Covid-19.
According to the update from the Ministry of Health, the new confirmed cases are:
- 10 found through tracing of the contacts of people who were found positive to Coronavirus
- 3 had returned from a trip in European countries
- 1 person from the British Bases
- 3 whose history is being investigated
95 of the 179 confirmed cases are from contact with other people found positive to Coronavirus.
The 179 were found after 5917 tests were carried out.
A total of 15 people who had been hospitalized have been cured and have been discharged.
The following days will be critical to the success of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, Dr Leontios Kostrikis said. It was essential people complied with stay at home decrees as it appeared that some do not appreciate how serious the situation is, he added.
Until 3pm on Saturday, 23 people were being treated at the Famagusta referral hospital, four of whom in the increased care unit. Three patients have been intubated at Limassol ICU and seven at Nicosia’s ICU. One patient is in the ICU of Limassol Hospital but has not been intubated.
Their condition is described as critical but steady.
So far, 45 patients have been treated for Covid-19 of whom 15 have recovered and have been discharged and seven taken to ICUs. Five have died.
“In the next few days more people who are home under monitoring will get sick. We want this number to be as small as possible. This disease when there are serious symptoms is protracted and patients need to stay on a ventilator for a long time. This means a long time in the ICU and the need for more beds,” Dr Marios Loizou said.
It was essential therefore to slow the spread so as to give the health system the ability to cope, he added.
So far, 27% of the cases are in Nicosia, 27% in Paphos (because of the cluster at Paphos Hospital), 7% in Famagusta, 14% in Limassol and 21% in Larnaca.
