Coronavirus: Five deaths as record 419 cases recorded (updated)

The health services on Tuesday announced five deaths from Covid and a record 419 new cases.

The cases include 212 rapid tests, which were confirmed through PCR.

According to a statement, 115 people are being treated in hospital, 21 in serious condition.

The total number of cases since March has reached 13,286 while Cyprus is now counting 68 deaths – 44 men — attributed to Covid. The average age is 77.

The deaths concern three men and two women.

One was a 76-year-old with underlying health issues, who was being treated at Nicosia general hospital’s ICU. Two others, 84 and 63, died at Limassol general hospital. The 63-year-old had no known underlying issues, the ministry said. Both had been admitted after contracting the virus in care homes.

The women, aged 92 and 91, died at Famagusta Covid hospital. They both had underlying problems and had been infected at care homes.

Of the 21 people in serious condition in the island’s hospitals, 10 are on ventilators and three being treated in ICUs without intubation. Eight people are in a high dependency unit.

Health authorities said the 419 new cases confirmed on Tuesday were from 4,208 tests.

Sixty cases were detected among 663 samples taken as part of contact tracing while 121 cases emerged from 1,630 tests conducted by private laboratories.

Four cases were found amid 915 tests carried out at airports.

Nineteen cases were detected in 361 samples tested by state hospital labs; two were detected in 251 samples from people referred by GPs.

One case was from 98 tests conducted at Kato Pyrgos.

The ministry said they also carried out 6,702 antigen rapid tests with 218 positives. The results will have to be confirmed through PCR.

Turkish Cypriots announced one death and 13 new cases on Tuesday, after 1,566 tests in the past 24 hours.

Eleven of the cases were travellers.

The total number of cases detected in the north since March reached 1,203 with six deaths.