TWENTY-ONE more individuals tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases to 616, health ministry officials announced, noting a declining trend the numbers over the past ten days, that offered a “hopeful picture”.
Of the new cases, 10 were located through contacts with other positive cases, one individual had travelled abroad, and the other ten were still being investigated. The new cases came out of a total of 811 tests carried out over the previous 24 hours.
“Given the above information, today’s 21 cases out of a total of 811 laboratory tests are in line with our estimates that the path we are following is the right one, but we have not yet reached the end. The number of new cases is in line with the downward trend of the last 10 days,” virologist and government adviser Leontios Kostrikis said.
He said the 616 confirmed cases had come out of a total of 17,119 tests. A total of 61 individuals have recovered from the virus and have been discharged from hospital, Kostrikis said. He thanked the public for “showing patience and cooperating”.
“We ask you to continue with the same dedication, because we are a critical phase and there is no room for error,” he added.
Dr Marios Loizou, from the state health operator Okypy said as of Saturday there were eight individuals currently intubated, two at Limassol and six at Nicosia.
He said another four people were being treated at the intensive care at Nicosia General but were not on ventilators.
Another 28 individuals are being cared for a Famagusta general, four of whom are in the intensive care unit. He added that another three people were discharged from hospital on Saturday.
Commenting on developments in recent days, Loizou said: “In our country there is still a picture that gives us a right to have hope.”
However, he added there was no official treatment for the virus and it was incumbent on the public to protect themselves so they could protect the health system.
“We cannot relax even for a minute,” he said.
In the north, the ‘health ministry’ announced Saturday there were no new cases after testing 158 people on Saturday. On Friday, three new Covid-19 cases were announced by the ‘health ministry’, bringing the total number there to 99.
Earlier in the day, President Nicos Anastasiades told Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, they would supply the north with medicines and protective supplies.
During a phone conversation they both agreed the transfer of the supplies to the north would occur in the coming week, government spokesman Kyriakos Kousios announced.
The two leaders also assessed their respective situations and expressed their concerns over the spread of the coronavirus on the island, he said in a written statement.
Both Anastasiades and Akinci agreed to have constant contact on the matter and to strengthen the role of the bicommunal committee for health, Kousios added.
Meanwhile, as restrictive measures continue to be in place, a member of the health ministry advisory committee for the virus, Professor of Microbiology/Molecular Virology at the University of Nicosia Medical School, Dr Petros Karayiannis told Politis radio, it looked as though measures would not lighten up until mid-June.
“I don’t see things smoothing over before mid-June, the earliest,” he said though officially the lockdown has been extended only until the end of April.
Karayiannis said April would be decisive as 20,000 tests on workers in the public and private sectors are expected to finish, as well as, the epidemiological study. Karayiannis added: “Depending on the results, we could be looking at a partial relaxation of the measures, and the adoption of self-protection measures.”
Police earlier in the day reported 64 individuals were booked for violating restrictive measures on movement, including a 9pm to 6am curfew overnight on Friday.
Also on Saturday, a chartered Aegean Airlines flight arrived at Larnaca airport carrying medical supplies from China.
The plane – the second to arrive with the first being on April 4 – arrived at 1:30am with nine tonnes of protective medical equipment bought with donations from the House of Representatives and the embassy of China. Disposable products were also one the flight, ordered by the health ministry.
House president Demetris Syllouris thanked ‘friends abroad,’ who donated their money to send the items to Cyprus. Commenting on the protective medical equipment supplies, Syllouris said there were 50,000 masks, 5,000 face shields, and 4,000 protective body suits.
“We will take a lot of damage, but we will be winners and tomorrow will be better, if we handle this crisis correctly,” said Syllouris, who went to the airport as the shipment arrived.
The Armenian representative at the House and key coordinator of the effort to have the supplies delivered, Vartkes Mahdessian said: “I hope this nightmare will end as soon as possible, and I am positive we will make it with everyone’s help.”
The flight was offered free by Aegean Airlines and the fuel from Hellenic Petroleum.
Following confirmation of case in the ranks of Unficyp on Friday, the peacekeeping force reported no other member in Cyprus was found positive after testing. CNA said the process of contact tracing to prevent the further spread of the virus was completed and no new cases emerged. On Friday, Unficyp confirmed its first case among peacekeeping personnel.
