Coronavirus: two deaths, 324 new cases announced on Saturday (Updated)

Two more people died from Covid-19 and 324 new cases of the virus have been detected, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The number of deaths attributed to the virus has now risen to 75 while the number of cases recorded since March has reached 14,800.

The two deaths concern men aged 82 and 88, both with underlying health problems. The 82-year-old was being treated at Nicosia general hospital’s ICU. The second man had been admitted to Famagusta hospital after contracting the virus at a care home in Limassol.

Fifty-one men and 26 women have died from the virus since March with the average age being 78.

The ministry said 113 people infected with the virus were being treated in hospital, 16 of whom in critical condition.

Of the 16, 10 were on a ventilator, two in the ICU without a ventilator, and four in a high dependency unit.

Health authorities also announced 324 new cases from 4,607 PCR tests, including 143 cases detected through rapid antigen tests in the previous days.

Sixty-two cases were detected from 807 samples collected from the contacts of previously confirmed cases. Three cases were travellers arriving to Cyprus found after 902 tests.

An additional 84 cases were detected among 2,010 samples tested by private laboratories and 17 cases were reported by state hospitals after testing 280 people.

Out of 243 people referred by GPs, two were found positive. The ministry said 12 cases were detected among 99 samples collected from care homes. All 12 are from a care home in Evrihou, 10 concern residents and two were staff.

One case was found after 40 tests on samples from migrant reception centres.

The ministry said 202 positive cases were also detected in 7,310 rapid antigen tests that must be confirmed by PCR.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.