Free coronavirus testing will get underway in Paphos on Saturday, according to an announcement from the Paphos municipality and the ministry of health.
“One thousand RNA tests to detect possible coronavirus outbreaks in Paphos will begin tomorrow April 4, from 8am to 4pm at the former ‘District House’ and will continue on Sunday, Monday and possibly Tuesday,” the announcement said.
The 1,000 individuals were randomly selected by the ministry of health based on demographic criteria defined by the ministry’s scientific and epidemiological team to ensure statistical sampling. The sample will be taken by the approved private company NIPD Genetics.
Those selected will be informed by phone of the specific day and time .
They should bring along their ID cards and email addresses. If they do not have an email address, they should have the email of a relative.
Those selected will be divided into teams arriving every two hours and should stay in their cars until the process is completed to avoid overcrowding. They should have protective face masks, and if they do not have them, they will be provided by the Paphos municipality on the spot.
After being informed by the ministry that there were currently no stocks available for antibody testing, only RNA testing will be performed, which is the most important and necessary for detecting active cases. Screening for antibodies will be performed later.
For the implementation of this initiative, the municipality of Paphos, the municipality of Peyia, the communities of Chlorakas and Emba, as well as EBE and PASYXE District Committee will each contribute €10,000, while the ministry of health will contribute €50,000. The municipality of Paphos also assists in the effort with a team of staff and volunteers.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 testing will also be carried out on key workers in Chlorakas to see if there is an outbreak of the virus in places that are accessed by the public, the local community leader said on Friday.
“Samples will be taken from Chlorakas store employees who are operating normally such as, supermarkets, bakeries, fruit shops, kiosks and banks. Samples will also be taken from some members of the Chlorakas community board staff who serve the public,” Nikolas Liasides announced on social media.
Following its decision, Chlorakas community board will carry out, in collaboration with an approved laboratory, 50 Covid- 19 screening tests.
“Chlorakas will also help to fund 1,000 tests to be carried out in Paphos in the coming days,” he added.
