Three coronavirus patients are on ventilators at the Limassol general hospital, among them a doctor working at the Paphos hospital, it was announced on Thursday.
The condition of the three persons is stable, the executive director of the Limassol-Paphos hospitals, Christos Nicolaou said.
The Paphos doctor, who was in self-isolation, was transferred to the Limassol hospital after his condition worsened.
Two women, one from Paphos, the other from Limassol, who were coronavirus patients were discharged on Thursday while two more patients were expected to be discharged later in the day.
In the meantime, the state health services organisation Okypy said on Thursday they have not shut down the Nicosia general hospital’s orthopaedic ward after a patient there was found to have coronavirus, giving reassurances they are taking all necessary measures to protect staff and other patients.
Okypy spokesman Charalambos Charilaou told state broadcaster CyBC that a man admitted to the Nicosia hospital’s orthopaedic ward a few days ago for another health issue was found to have coronavirus after showing symptoms.
He said that the ward would not be shut down since the man was in a single room.
Charilaou said all measures were taken as per the instructions of the health ministry to protect the staff and other patients.
In a similar case, executive director of the Larnaca and Famagusta hospitals Giorgos Karotsakis said a 75-year-old patient admitted to Larnaca hospital’s general clinic for a stroke also tested positive for coronavirus.
He added that 15 doctors and 32 nurses and other staff who have come in contact with the 75-year-old are now in self-isolation for 14 days.
According to Karotsakis, 83 of the 180 samples that have been taken from staff and patients are negative.
The hospital’s general clinic that has 21 inpatients has been shut with new cases sent to private sector or other state hospitals.
The accident and emergency department is operating on skeleton staff.
The 75-year-old has been transferred to the Famagusta hospital which is the reference hospital for Covid-19 cases.
Paphos hospital remained shut on Thursday after crews completed the disinfection of its areas while 21 inpatients have been moved to a safe ward.
The majority of the hospital’s staff, 153 people, are in self-isolation after 23 of their colleagues have tested positive. Two of the staff members who tested positive are now at the Famagusta hospital with respiratory problems.
There are now 94 health professionals working at the Paphos hospital.
The temporary head of the hospital, Dr Iosif Moutiris, said that after a meeting with the heads of the town’s private hospitals, presided by Paphos mayor, Phedonas Phedonos, the private hospitals offered their respirators as well as the services of their doctors and nurses to help the state hospital. He said that the Paphos hospital has six respirators while four more that have been sent for repairs are expected to be returned soon.
Moutiris also said that the Elder of the Monastery of Ayios Neophytos, informed him in a call on Thursday that Archbishop Chrysostomos wanted to provide a respirator for the needs of the Paphos hospital.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of setting up a centre for the rapid analysis of the suspected Covid-19 samples. Moutiris said Phedonos was willing to provide facilities for this purpose.
Meanhile, the Institute of Neurology & Genetics (Cing), said there was no delay in getting the results of the Covid-19 tests it is sent.
The head of Cing, Leonidas Phylactou, said that they process between 300 and 500 samples daily while so far, they have screened more than 4,000 samples.
