Current Covid position

Latest

Stricter measures are set to be announced at 4pm in a raft of new restrictions, with early reports suggesting that more Covid-19 test requirements are to be brought in.

The council of ministers met on Tuesday to discuss further restrictions, following Monday’s meeting of the government’s Covid-19 advisory team.

Notably absent from the reported measures was a highly expected tightening of the number of people permitted to gather at homes. It appears that house gatherings are set to remain at 20 persons.

Among the measures reportedly set to take place is a delay of schools reopening which may be pushed back from January 7 to January 10. Elsewhere, vaccinated people could be required to take weekly Covid-19 tests to go to work but those who receive a ‘booster’ dose will be exempt.

For the recovered, it was reported that the validity of their pass will be slashed from six months to three months, but it was not immediately clear when this would take place.

Unvaccinated children aged 12-17 will be permitted entry to places where unvaccinated adults are banned if they have proof of a negative Covid-19 test and are accompanied by a vaccinated adult, according to Cyprus Times

Yesterday

No deaths from Covid-19 were recorded on Tuesday but 806 new infections were reported, the health ministry said as 176 people are in hospital receiving treatment for the virus.

Of those in hospital, 78.98 per cent are unvaccinated and 50 are in serious or critical condition.

Tuesday’s infections were identified following 87,531 tests resulting in a positivity rate of 0.92 per cent.

Total recorded infections have now reached 146,802 while deaths attributed to Covid-19 remain at 623.

On Tuesday, 10,815 PCR tests uncovered the following positives: 121 from 1,418 contact tracing tests, 47 from 5,273 airport tests, 169 from 3,692 taken privately and 16 from 327 hospital tests.

The 76,716 rapid tests are subdivided into those taken privately at pharmacies and labs and those as part of the government’s screening programme for select groups.

The former saw 300 infections from 44,112 tests while the latter worked out at 183 and 32,604 respectively.

Notably, no infections were logged at care homes but there were 44 at primary schools and 29 at secondary schools.

Elsewhere, Turkish Cypriots announced on Tuesday they have detected two cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the north.

The two individuals did not have any travel history. They were isolated while health authorities were chasing down their contacts.

Four Covid-19 deaths were also reported in the north on Tuesday along with 194 infections (from 18,981 tests). Their infections are now at 33,493 which have resulted in 131 deaths.

Today

One person has died from Covid and 883 new infections have been detected after 103,603 tests, a positivity rate of 0.85 per cent, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The death concerns a 65-year-old man who died at Nicosia general hospital.

The ministry said 172 people were being treated in hospital, 64 in serious condition.

Over 77 per cent of the Covid patients were not vaccinated.

The number of deaths from Covid since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year is 624 while recorded infections reached 147,685.

Of the 64 patients in serious condition, 26 are intubated, two are in an ICU but off the ventilator, and 36 in high dependency units.

Among the new cases are 151 who were close contacts of previously confirmed infections. They were detected in 1,438 samples.

Forty-nine infections were reported at the two airports after 4,855 tests to arriving passengers and 156 infections were among 3,560 samples tested privately.

An additional 11 cases were reported by state hospital labs in 402 samples.

Private labs and pharmacies reported 352 cases in 56,223 samples tested using the rapid method, while units that are part of the state’s screening programme reported 163 cases among 37,085 samples.

One case was detected in 40 samples tested following their referral by GPs.

Turkish Cypriots reported two deaths and 179 new infections on Wednesday after 15,388 tests.

The number of deaths from Covid in the north has reached 133 while recorded infections since March last year stood at 33,672.

Yesterday

Health authorities on Thursday announced one death from Covid-19, while the number of positives came close to the 1,000 mark and with the positivity rate clocking at 1.05 per cent.

The latest fatality was an 81-year-old man who died Wednesday at Nicosia general hospital’s ICU.

The Covid death toll now stands at 625; the average age of the deceased is 75.9 years.

Meanwhile hospitals were treating 162 patients, of whom 66 in a serious condition. Of the 66, 25 were intubated, four in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 37 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 13 post-Covid patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The ministry reported that 77.78 per cent of the hospitalised did not have a record of vaccination.

Thursday’s 978 positives were tracked from 93,233 tests, of which 12,269 done with PCR.

A breakdown of the positives: 178 from 1,986 samples via contact tracing; 44 from 6,285 samples taken at the airports; 148 from 3,574 samples taken by private initiative; 20 from 381 samples processed by microbiology labs at general hospitals; 408 from 54,626 samples (antigen rapid test) processed by private clinical labs and pharmacies; and 180 from 26,338 samples (antigen rapid test) as part of the health ministry’s free screening programme.

Three of the positives came from nursing homes in Nicosia district. And 8,138 tests in secondary schools tracked 23 positives.

The cumulative total of positives since March 2020 stands at 148,663.

Today

Two people died from Covid and 917 new infections were detected after 112,532 tests, a positivity rate of 0.81 per cent, the health ministry said on Friday.

The deaths concern two men, both 91.

The ministry said 168 people were being treated in hospital with the virus, 62 in serious condition. Just over 76 per cent of those hospitalised were not vaccinated.

Covid has claimed the lives of 627 people since March last year while the number of recorded cases has reached 149,580.

The ministry also announced the detection of 63 cases of the Omicron variant of the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 96.

Of the 62 people in serious condition, 22 were intubated, six were in an ICU off ventilators, and 34 in high dependency units.

Fourteen post-covid patients remained intubated in serious condition.

Fifty-eight new infections concerned arriving passengers at the two airports. They were detected in 6,661 samples that underwent mandatory PCR testing.

Of the rest, 223 infections were among 4,076 samples tested privately and 14 in 218 tested at state hospital labs.

Private labs and pharmacies reported 467 infections in 72,156 samples tested with rapid antigen tests. A further 155 infections were detected in 29,413 samples tested by units taking part in the state’s screening programme.

No figures concerning close contacts were available on Friday.

The ministry also announced the detection of 63 new cases of the Omicron variant among 192 samples collected between December 11 and December 19.

Eighty of the samples were collected at the two airports and nine from residents of people quarantined at Eden rehabilitation centre.

The remaining samples were collected from the community.

Thirty-four Omicron cases were among the airport samples, 22 in those taken from the community, and seven from people at Eden.

Thirty-three Omicron cases had already been detected, all linked with a school trip to Glasgow.

Today

The health ministry announced that there had been no new deaths from Covid-19 on Sunday and that 912 people had tested positive from  53,715 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 1.7 per cent.

The death toll since March 2020 remains at 628.

There are 162 people in hospitals of whom 74 are in serious condition. Of these, 26 are intubated.  The health minister said earlier that no one who tested positive for the Omicron variant had yet been hospitalised.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was  98 per cent.

Of the 53,715 tests,  4,535 were PCR and 49,180 rapid tests, yielding 912 positives as follows: .



22 from 2,639 samples taken at airports
63 from 1,667 samples taken through private initiative.
21 from 229 test at hospital labs
310 from 21,146 tests at labs and pharmacies
496 from 28,034 under the ministry’s free testing programme for children, people in various stages of vaccination and the vaccine exempt .
The 496 positives from the free testing programme are broken down as follows

Today

The health ministry announced that  two people had died of Covid-19 and that  a record 1,925 had tested positive from 121,127 PCR and rapid tests, another record, which resulted in a positivity rate of 1.5 per cent.

The deaths concerned a woman aged 79 and a man aged 78. Total deaths are now 630.

There are  161 people in hospitals of whom 78 are in serious condition. Of these, 27 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 80.75 per cent.

Of the 121,127 tests on Monday, 12,917 were PCR tests and 108,210 rapid tests, yielding 1,925 positives as follows:
164 from from 1,979 samples taken through contact tracing
44 from 5,626 samples taken at the airports
388 from 4,462 samples taken through private initiative.
13 from 502 samples tested at hospital labs
926 from 80,407 tests at private labs and pharmacies
384 from 27,803 samples under the health ministry’s free testing programme for children and eligible groups in various stages of vaccination
6 from 348 tests through GP referrals



The 384 positives from the free testing programme are broken down as follows:

Today

The health ministry announced 2,241 new cases of Covid-19 but no deaths on Tuesday.

As there were no deaths, the total death toll remains 630, of whom 402 were men and 227 women.

There are 168 people being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, 84 of whom are in serious condition. Of the 84 patients, 27 are intubated, eight are in the ICU without a ventilator and 49 in a High Dependency Unit.

Of all patients, 80.96 per cent are not vaccinated against Covid.

Fifteen post-Covid patients who are no longer infectious are still intubated in the ICU.

A total of 98,047 PCR and rapid antigen tests were carried out on Tuesday, giving a positivity rate of 2.29 per cent.

Of the tests, 11,803 were PCR and 86,244 rapid tests.

The majority, 1,046 of the 2,241 cases, came from 60,052 rapid tests performed at private labs and pharmacies, with 483 more found out of 26,192 tests performed at health ministry testing sites.

A total of 389 cases came from 4,068 samples taken through private initiative, while 1,671 samples taken through contacts of already confirmed cases turned up 220 positives.

Twenty-six cases were found among 366 samples processed by hospital labs while 55 samples taken through GP referrals yielded one positive.

In addition, 5,643 samples were taken at airports with 76 positives.

The total number of positives to date is 154,926

Today

Five deaths and a new record of 3,002 new infections from coronavirus were announced on Wednesday.

The five deaths were three women aged 74, 77 and 94 and two men aged 81 and 87.

There are 174 people in hospital with the virus of whom 84 are in serious condition.

Latest on restrictions just announced this evening

Rapid tests not older than 24 hours will be mandatory for attending weddings and other such events, while dancing is banned, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said on Wednesday after an emergency cabinet meeting.

According to the minister, cabinet approved a series of suggestions by the advisory committee on coronavirus. The additional measures follow record spikes in daily infections for three days in the row. On Wednesday 3,002 cases were recorded, 2,241 on Tuesday and close to 2,000 the previous day.

From Thursday, entry to music and dance venues, weddings, christenings and other reception areas will be allowed only to those who present a rapid test not older than 24 hours. People who have had their booster jab are exempt.

Hadjipantelas recalled that entry to these venues is in any case allowed only to vaccinated people.

Also from Thursday, the maximum number of people at eateries, reception, music and dance venues, will be 300. People must remain seated while dancing is forbidden.

For weddings and christenings, this measure will be in effect from January 3.

Stadiums from Thursday can operate at 50 per cent of their capacity while the use of the mask is obligatory. If premises are found to ignore the measures, authorities can revoke their licence. Stadiums are currently operating at 75 per cent of their capacity.

From January 4 to 15 all passengers arriving in the Republic must present a 48-hour PCR test prior to their departure to Cyprus. Upon arrival they must also get a PCR test at the airport at their own cost. This also includes vaccinated people.

From January 3, 40 per cent of staff of businesses offering services must work remotely. The measure currently provides for 20 per cent.

Cabinet held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to decide on further measures.

The use of non-fabric masks has also been recommended.

Prior to the cabinet meeting, Hadjipantelas met with the advisory committee on coronavirus to assess the situation and for the experts to submit their suggestions.

Update to yesterday

Five deaths and a record 3,002 new infections from coronavirus were announced on Wednesday.

The five deaths were three women aged 74, 77 and 94 and two men aged 81 and 87.

This brings the number of deaths from Covid-19 to 635: 404 men and 231 women with an average age of 76 years.

There are 174 patients with Covid-19 in hospital, 84 of whom in serious condition, including 24 who are intubated. According to the health ministry 82.7 per cent of patients with coronavirus in hospital are not vaccinated.

The new cases were among 118,894 PCR and rapid tests with a positivity rate of 2.52 per cent.

More than a third of cases – 1,379 – concern people who got rapid tests in private labs and pharmacies.

Another 106 cases were detected during testing among passengers at the Larnaca and Paphos airports.

Thirty-five cases were among samples collected by public hospitals’ labs, 301 were contacts of confirmed cases, and 507 were among samples collected through private initiative.

The remaining 674 cases were detected during the rapid testing offered in all districts on behalf of the health ministry. Of these, seven were detected in nursing homes in the Nicosia district and one in Limassol. In addition, 351 cases were detected in Nicosia out of the 14,629 tests, 129 in Limassol (5,693), 90 in Larnaca (5,266), 49 in Paphos (2,685), and 47 in the Famagusta district (2,685).

So far 157,928 cases have been recorded.

Today

The health ministry announced that one person had died of Covid-19 and that 3,851 had tested positive from 114,743 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 3.36 per cent.

The death concerned a woman aged 95 who died at Larnaca hospital.

There are 178 people in hospitals of whom 84 are in serious condition. Of these, 28 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 85.4 per cent

UPDATED
Authorities on Thursday announced one more death attributed to Covid-19, while testing yielded a new record of 3,851 positives, continuing the trend of the past few days.

The latest fatality was a 95-year-old woman, who died at Larnaca general hospital. That brings the Covid death toll to 636; the average age of the deceased is 76 years.

Meanwhile hospitals were treating 178 patients, of whom 85 were in a serious condition. Of the 85, 28 are intubated, 11 treated in ICU but off the ventilator, and 46 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 16 post-Covid patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The health ministry reported that 85.4 per cent of those in hospital for Covid-19 did not have a record of vaccination.

Thursday’s positives came from a total of 114,743 tests – of which 14,415 done with PCR – representing a positivity rate of 3.36 per cent.

The cumulative number of positives detected since March 2020 comes to 161,779.

A breakdown of the day’s positives: 281 from 1,536 samples via contact tracing; 85 from 5,749 samples taken at the airports; 806 from 6,637 samples taken by private initiative; 33 from 465 samples processed by microbiology laboratories at the general hospitals; 1,818 from 68,440 samples (antigen rapid test) processed by private clinical labs and pharmacies; 827 from 31,888 samples from the government’s free screening programme; and one from 28 samples through doctors’ referrals.

Five of the positives tracked through the free screening programme came from nursing homes in Nicosia and Limassol, out of 1,016 tests at those facilities.

In the north, one person died of Covid-19, while testing detected 306 new positives
.

Today...

The health ministry announced that two people had died of Covid-19 and that a record 5,048 had tested positive from, another record, 169,476 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of  2.98 per cent.

The deaths concerned a man aged 76 and a woman aged 78. Total deaths stand at 638.

There are 180 people in hospitals of whom 79 are in serious condition. Of these, 28 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 85  per cent.

Updated

The health ministry announced that two people had died of Covid-19 and that a record 5,048 had tested positive from, another record, 169,476 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of  2.98 per cent.

The deaths concerned a man aged 76 and a woman aged 78. Total deaths stand at 638 with an average age of 76.

There are 180 people in hospitals of whom 79 are in serious condition. Of these, 28 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 85  per cent.

Of the 169,476 tests on Friday 14,971 were PCR and 154,505 rapid tests, with 164,428 people testing negative and 5,048 testing positive as follows:

105 from 6,186 samples taken at airports
1,352 from 7,816 samples taken through private initiative.
25 from 480 samples processed at hospital labs
2,815 from 121,614 tests done at private labs and pharmacies.
751 from 32,891 tests at the ministry’s free programme for various groups
In addition, the following tests were done without detecting any positives:

Two tests done on GP referrals
487 tests done through contract tracing from confirmed positives

Today

The health ministry announced that there had been no new deaths from Covid-19 and that 2,332 people had tested positive from 38,977 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of  5.98 per cent.

Testing and positives were significantly down on Saturday due to the public holiday. On Friday, a record of over 5,000 tested positive from a record of more than 169,000 tests.

There are 187 people in hospitals of whom 82 are in serious condition. Of these, 32 are intubated. The death toll remains at 638.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 85 per cent.

Of the 38,977 tests on Saturday, 8,525 were PCR and 30,452 rapid tests detecting 2,332 positives as follows:

57 from 4,674 samples taken as part of a passenger check at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
388 from 3,615 samples taken through private initiative.
21 from 236 tests at hospital labs.
1,008 from 14,473 rapid tests at private clinical laboratories and pharmacies.
858 from 15,979 tests done under the free programme for eligible groups

Latest...

Numbers over the next 48 hours will be crucial to any further measures as the health minister will meet the government coronavirus advisory team on Tuesday and the Council of Ministers will decide the following on any further measures to slow the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, member of the advisory team and Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Virology at the Medical School of the University of Nicosia Petros Karayiannis has warned that positive cases could shoot even higher in the next few days resulting in more hospitalisations too.

“Seven thousand cases a day does not seem like and impossible number,” he said to Sigmalive, adding that on Monday as a working day the number of tests will likely be higher.

He said by the middle of the week the result of gatherings over New Year and the holidays will be seen, as the Omicron variant gets passed on quicker.

He suggested that Omicron could now account for all cases seen in Cyprus.

Virologist Michalis Voniatis also said the numbers could be expected to go higher. However he told phienews that there is a ray of hope as the Omicron variant does not seem to be causing such serious cases.

If we had seen the thousands of cases over the last few days with the Delta variant, he said, the hospitals would be in a very bad way.

We should not be surprised, he added, to see 100,000 cases in a week, at which point the hospitals would likely be stretched. Although this might also lead us to herd immunity.

On Saturday a total of 2,332 cases were seen from just under 39,000 tests, giving the highest positivity rate seen so far, at 5.98 per cent. In addition, 187 people were hospitalised, of whom 82 were in a serious condition.

According to Phileleftheros, minister Michalis Hadjipantelas is already in contact with advisors to analyse the situation and it can be taken as a given that stricter measures will be announced on Wednesday although how much things will change is largely though to depend on the number of people in hospital.

These measures are thought to include restricting movement and further restrictions on certain sectors of the economy, such as reducing the number of people in nightclubs, at receptions and also gatherings at homes.

They could also include moves aimed at church services and cross throwing ceremonies on Thursday, January 6.

A complete lockdown is not thought to be on the table.

Today

One person died as a result of Covid-19 on Sunday as the ministry of health announced 3,538 new positive cases.

The death brings the number who have died since the start of the pandemic to 639.

It refers to an 85-year-old woman who died on Sunday in the Larnaca general hospital.

Of all deaths, 405 were men and 234 women.

Meanwhile 203 people are being treated in hospital, 84 of them in a serious condition.

Of those in a serious condition 33 are intubated and five are in ICU but not on a ventilator. Forty six patients are being treated in a high dependency unit.

Among all people in hospital, 83.26 per cent have no history of vaccination.

There are 16 post Covid patients intubated in ICU departments.

The 3,538 cases come from 91,482 tests, giving a positivity rate of 3.87 per cent.

A total of 7,912 tests were PCR and 83,570 rapid tests.

Contact tracing saw 456 tests identify 68 positive cases, while a further 58 were found among 3,915 tests carried out at Larnaca and Paphos airports.

A further 362 were found from 3,198 people who took a test at their own initiative, while 22 cases were found among 291 tests taken at state hospitals.

Three cases were found among 52 tests ordered by GPs.

Among rapid tests, 1,816 cases were found among the 45,456 tests taken at private labs and pharmacies.

The results include 46 cases found among 2,417 tests carried out at closed facilities.

Since the start of the pandemic total cases has reached 172,697.

Today

Two deaths and 5,024 new infections of coronavirus were reported on Monday.

The deaths were two men aged 84 and 62. The 84-year-old died on Sunday.

There are 201 people in hospital with the virus, 75 of whom are in serious condition. The health ministry said 81.1 per cent of those in hospital are unvaccinated.

Updated
Two deaths and 5,024 new infections of coronavirus were announced by the health ministry on Monday.

The deaths were two men aged 84 and 62. The 84-year-old died at the Limassol general hospital on Sunday while the younger man died at the ICU of Nicosia general hospital on Monday.

Some 201 are in hospital with the virus, 75 of whom are in serious condition including 32 who are intubated.

The health ministry said 81.1 per cent of those in hospital are unvaccinated.

The new cases, detected from 164,358 PCR and rapid tests, translate to a positivity rate of 3.06 per cent. This brings the total number of cases to 177,721 since the pandemic began. There have been 641 deaths from the virus.

Regarding Monday’s tests, 150,518 were rapid tests, the remaining 13,840 were PCR.

Most new infections, 3,169, were detected following 112,903 tests in private labs and pharmacies. Another 1,017 cases were traced after 37,615 tests at the health ministry’s mobile testing sites.

Some 434 people tested positive following a test after a private initiative, 193 were detected during testing at the airports and 141 through contact tracing. The remaining 69 concerned samples at the state laboratories while one person was detected with the virus following a GP referral.

Four of the new cases concerned 24/7 facilities such as nursing homes.

Meanwhile, the north recorded 410 coronavirus cases after 35,585 tests.

Further measures expected

President Nicos Anastasiades will be meeting government advisors on Tuesday to be briefed on the current epidemiological situation and discuss tighter measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, as daily infections surged.

Government spokesman Marios Pelekanos said the meeting was scheduled for 6.30.pm.

Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas was scheduled to meet with the  advisory team at 3pm.

With the daily infection rate skyrocketing, forcing thousands of people who are either cases or contacts, into isolation, it is expected that experts will recommend tighter measures though a lockdown does not appear to be among the options.

The spike has not caused hospital admissions to rise as in previous waves, which gives authorities some leeway  for the time being at least.

The minister has said that any decision concerning the extension of school holidays will be made after he hears from the experts.

The final decision will be made by the cabinet on Wednesday.

The meeting will take place at 3pm.

Today

The health ministry announced 5,457 new cases of Covid-19 and five deaths on Tuesday.

The deaths were of two women – one aged 73 who passed away in the ICU at Nicosia general hospital on January 2 and a second aged 55 who died on Tuesday in the same place.

The three men were and 82-year-old who also died in Nicosia general on Monday, a 43-year-old who died in the same place on Tuesday and an 84-year-old who died on Tuesday at Paphos general hospital.

This brings the total death toll to 646, of whom 410 were men and 236 women.

There are currently 209 people being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, 76 of whom are in serious condition. Of these, 32 are intubated, four are in the ICU without a ventilator and 40 in a High Dependency Unit.

Of all patients, 78 per cent have no vaccination history against Covid.

Fifteen post-Covid patients who are no longer infectious are still intubated in the ICU.

A total of 122,801 PCR and rapid antigen tests were carried out on Tuesday, giving a positivity rate of 4.44 per cent.

Of the 122,801 tests, 18,576 were PCR and 104,225 rapid tests.

The majority, 2,715, came from 70,186 rapid tests performed at private labs and pharmacies, with 1,007 more found out of 34,039 tests performed at health ministry testing sites.

A total of 1,067 cases came from 9,286 samples taken through private initiative, while 3,121 samples taken through contacts of already confirmed cases turned up 490 positives.

Twenty-five cases were found among 360 samples processed by hospital labs while 317 samples taken through GP referrals yielded ten positives.

In addition, 5,489 samples were taken at airports with 143 positives.

The total number of positives to date is 183,178.

Meanwhile, the north reported one death and 700 new cases on Tuesday, found from 28,862 tests performed in the last 24 hours.

The ‘health ministry’ reported that 243 cases were detected in Nicosia, 189 in Kyrenia, 206 in Famagusta, 17 in Morphou, 14 in Trikomo and seven in Lefka.

A total of 61 coronavirus patients are in hospital with 11 in ICUs.

So far, the north has reported 37,651 cases and 142 deaths.

Latest COVID protocols today

The cabinet on Wednesday decided to reopen all schools on Monday mandating testing twice a week and tightened other measures in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The government cut the number of allowed persons in homes from 20 to 10, and set 200 as the maximum number of people in places of worship provided they meet the area criteria.

Dancing at hospitality and other venues has been banned and the maximum number of seated customers was set to eight per table.

From Thursday, SafePasses must be matched to the holder through id verification, the health minister said, while the number of staff working from home has been raised to 50 per cent starting Monday.

Also Thursday, all close contacts of confirmed cases must undergo testing on the third and fifth days from the day of contact.

A night curfew has also been placed on residents of elderly homes and other facilities starting Thursday.

Today

Four people have died from Covid and 5,202 new infections were detected after 130,076 tests, a positivity rate of 4 per cent, the ministry said on Wednesday.

In a written statement, the ministry said 205 people were being treated in hospital, 70 in serious condition.

The deaths concerned three women aged 84, 91, and 58, and an 80-year-old man.

The number of deaths from the virus have reached 650 while infection since March 2020 stood at 188,380.

Eighty per cent of hospitalised patients were not vaccinated.

Of the 70 people in serious condition, 28 were on ventilators, three in ICUs but off ventilators, and 39 in high dependency units.

Eighteen post-Covid patients were intubated in an ICU.

According to the ministry, 112 new cases concerned close contacts. They were detected in 747 samples.

At the two airports, health authorities conducted 3,841 tests and found 108 cases while 970 cases were among 9,510 samples tested privately.

State hospitals reported 63 cases in 467 samples, the ministry said, while pharmacies and private labs reported 2,634 cases in 75,037 samples.

State screening units reported 1,315 cases after 40,451 tests.

Turkish Cypriot reported one death and 720 new cases from 22,824 tests.

Since March 2020, 143 people died from Covid in the north while the number of cases reached 38,370.

Today

Low turnout for testing as it's epiphany holiday ..

The health ministry announced that  there had been no new deaths from Covid-19 and that  3,777 had tested positive from 77,255 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 4.89 per cent.

There are 225 people in hospitals of whom 73 are in serious condition. Of these, 29 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 77.5 per cent.

Of the 77,255 tests, 12,452 were PCR and 64,803 rapid tests, giving 3,777 positives as follows:

250 from 2,445 samples taken through contact tracing.
75 from 3,930 samples taken at airports.
593 from 5,667 samples taken through private initiative.
14 from 205 tests at hospital labs.
1,328 from 26,539 tests at private clinical laboratories and pharmacies.
1,510 from 38,264 tests at the government’s free locations.
7 from 205 GP referrals through the Public Health Clinics.

Today

The health ministry announced 5,244 new Covid-19 infections but no deaths after 139,334 tests, a positivity rate of 3.76 per cent, the ministry said on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said 230 people were being treated in hospital, 81 in serious condition.

The number of deaths from the virus remains 650, while infections since March 2020 stand at 197,401.

Seventy-seven per cent of hospitalised patients are not vaccinated.

Of the 81 people in serious condition, 28 were on ventilators, five in ICUs but off ventilators, and 48 in high dependency units.

According to the ministry, 138 new cases concerned close contacts. They were detected in 1,030 samples.

At the two airports, health authorities conducted 4,036 tests and found 55 cases while 748 cases were among 7,220 samples tested privately.

State hospitals reported 62 cases in 615 samples, the ministry said, while pharmacies and private labs reported 3,011 cases in 88,689 samples.

State screening units reported 1,222 cases after 37,638 tests.

Turkish Cypriot authorities, meanwhile, reported 780 new cases from 23,328 tests.

Since March 2020, 143 people died from Covid in the north while the number of cases reached 40,151.

Four people died from coronavirus on Saturday while a total of 3,959 new positive cases were recorded, the ministry of health said.

The four deaths bring the total since the start of the pandemic to 654.

The deaths refer to a 97-year-old woman who died in Larnaca hospital and an 82-year-old woman who died in Famagusta hospital. Two men also died, a 63-year-old in the Larnaca hosptial and an 82-year-old who was being treated in the Famagusta hospital. All four died on Saturday.

Of the total deaths so far 413 were men and 241 women.

Meanwhile, 224 patients are being treated for Covid in hospital, of which 83 are in a serious condition.

Of those in a serious condition 26 are intubated, seven are in the ICU but not on a ventilator and 50 are in a high dependency unit.

Of all hospital patients 77.05 per cent have no history of vaccination.

Eighteen post Covid patients continue to be treated in ICU.

A total of 152,238 rapid and PCR tests were carried out on Saturday, giving a positivity rate of 2.6 per cent.

Of the tests, 14,243 were PCR and the remaining 137,995 were rapid tests.

Among the 1,065 tests carried out on contacts of known cases 153 turned up positive while 72 positives were found among 4,062 tests carried out at the airports.

Meanwhile 767 positives were found from 8,534 tests taken on private initiative and 31 were found among 452 tests carried out at state hospitals.

Three cases were found among people sent for a test by their doctor.

Among the rapid tests 1,681 cases were found from the 73,232 tests carried out at private labs and pharmacies.

A further 1,253 were found among the 64,763 tests carried out at ministry testing sites.

Since the start of the pandemic a total of 201,360 positive cases have been recorded.

DeltaCron discovered in Cyprus

We are proud of our scientists, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said on Saturday after the discovery of a new variant by Cypriot scientists was announced.

Dr Leontios Kostrikis, who leads the team of scientists working at the University of Cyprus’ biotechnology and molecular virology lab, said a new coronavirus variant has been identified in the community.

Speaking to local media, Kostrikis explained that the new variant, which has been dubbed Deltacron, shares the genetic background of the Delta variant along with some of the mutations of Omicron.

“We have found a significant number of mutations only previously found in Omicron cases, which is different from other variants as it has 30 mutations,” he said. “Ten of these were identified in these samples taken in Cyprus”.

He added that the variant was identified in 25 samples taken in Cyprus, 11 of which came from people hospitalised for coronavirus and 14 from the general population.

“The frequency of the mutations was higher among those in hospital which could mean there is a correlation between Deltacron and hospitalisations”.

It is quite possible that the specific variant has not been identified anywhere else in the world, he said, so this discovery could be of global interest.

“The groundbreaking research and findings of Dr Kostrikis’ team make us proud of our scientists as this research puts Cyprus on the international map when it comes to health matters,” Hadjipantelas said.

Kostrikis said that the sequences of the 25 samples have been submitted to the GISAID database, which will make them available to the global scientific community.

That being said, he concluded, it is still too early to predict whether Deltacron could overpower Delta and Omicron.

The health minister said more details will be given in a press conference in the coming week

Today
The health ministry announced that  four people had died of Covid-19 and that 3,012 had tested positive from  139,709 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 2.16 per cent.

The deaths concerned one man aged 67 and three women aged 53, 78 and 86. The first three deaths happened on Saturday and the latter on Sunday. These bring the total deaths to 657 since March 2020.

There are  251 people in hospitals of whom 91 are in serious condition. Of these, 29 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was  75.3 per cent.

Of the 139,709 tests on Sunday, 8,701 were PCR and 131,008 rapid tests broken down as follows:

69 from 548 samples taken through contact tracing
97 from 4,421 tests at airports
292 from 3,199 samples taken through private initiative
41 from 406 samples tested at hospital labs
1,071 from 52,982 tests at private labs and pharmacies
1,437 from 78,026 samples during the government’s free testing programme for children and people in various stages of vaccination
5 positives from 127 samples tested under GP referrals

Today
The health ministry announced 4,187 new cases of Covid-19 and four deaths on Monday.

The deaths were of two men, aged 52 and 71, who passed away at Nicosia general hospital, and two women aged 82 and 76 who passed away at Famagusta hospital and Nicosia general hospital respectively.

This brings the total death toll to 661, of whom 415 were men and 246 women.

There are 245 people being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, 86 of whom are in serious condition. Of the 86 patients, 27 are intubated, six are in the ICU without a ventilator and 53 in a High Dependency Unit.

Of all patients, 76.64 per cent are not vaccinated against Covid.

Eighteen post-Covid patients who are no longer infectious are still intubated in the ICU.

A total of 137,091 PCR and rapid antigen tests were carried out on Tuesday, giving a positivity rate of 3.05 per cent.

Of the 137,091 tests, 13,416 were PCR and 123,675 rapid tests.

The majority, 2,680 of the 4,187 cases, came from 87,512 rapid tests performed at private labs and pharmacies, with 786 more found out of 36,163 tests performed at health ministry testing sites.

A total of 402 cases came from 4,960 samples taken through private initiative, while 1,958 samples taken through contacts of already confirmed cases turned up 200 positives.

Twenty-three cases were found among 403 samples processed by hospital labs while 449 samples taken through GP referrals yielded ten positives.

In addition, 5,646 samples were taken at airports with 86 positives.

The total number of positives to date is 208,559.

Meanwhile, the north reported one death and 713 cases, found from 29,765 tests performed in the last 24 hours.

The ‘health ministry’ reported that 333 cases were detected in Nicosia, 196 in Kyrenia, 117 in Famagusta, 28 In Morphou, 25 in Trikomo and 14 in Lefka.

A total of 53 coronavirus patients are in hospital with 15 in ICUs.

So far, the north has reported 42,415 cases and 145 deaths.

Today

The health ministry on Tuesday announced four more deaths from Covid-19, while testing tracked 3,515 new positives as the number of hospitalisations continued to tick up.

The latest fatalities were: two men, aged 55 and 88; and two women, aged 53 and 84. They all expired at Nicosia general hospital.

The 88-year-old man, and the 53 and 84-year-old women died on Monday.

That brings the Covid death toll to 665; the average age of the deceased is 75.9 years.

In hospitals, the number of Covid-19 patients rose to 252 (from 245 on Monday), with those described as being in a serious condition numbering 76 (from 86 a day earlier).

Of the 76 in a serious condition, 24 are intubated, five in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 47 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 20 post-Covid patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The ministry reported that 76.2 per cent of those in hospital did not have a record of vaccination.

Tuesday’s 3,515 positives came from 105,376 tests (of which 12,074 done with PCR), giving a positivity rate of 3.34 per cent.

A breakdown of the positives: 266 from 2,270 samples via contact tracing; 51 from 2,711 samples taken as part of airport checks; 705 from 6,476 samples taken by private initiative; 55 from 451 samples processed by microbiology labs at general hospitals; 1,676 from 50,087 samples (rapid tests) processed at private clinical labs and pharmacies; 754 from 36,215 samples as part of the government’s free screening programme; and eight from 166 samples tracked from doctors’ referrals.

Notably, in homes for the elderly, four positives were tracked from 585 samples in Nicosia; 11 positives from 228 samples in Limassol; and two positives from 196 samples in Larnaca.

In secondary schools, a total of 13,211 tests tracked 87 positives.

TODAY

The health ministry announced 3,197 new cases of Covid-19 and four deaths on Wednesday.

The deaths were two women aged 68 and 81, who died at Limassol and Paphos general hospitals respectively, and two men aged 87 and 57 wh passed away at Limassol and Nicosia general hospitals respectively.

This brings the total death toll to 669, of whom 419 were men and 250 women.

There are 266 people being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, 93 of whom are in serious condition. Of the 93 patients, 28 are intubated, four are in the ICU without a ventilator and 61 in a High Dependency Unit.

Of all patients, 76.32 per cent are not vaccinated against Covid.

Sixteen post-Covid patients who are no longer infectious are still intubated in the ICU.

A total of 112,233 PCR and rapid antigen tests were carried out on Tuesday, giving a positivity rate of 2,85 per cent.

Of the 112,233 tests, 9,558 were PCR and 102,675 rapid tests.

The majority, 1,352 of the 3,197 cases, came from 56,091 rapid tests performed at private labs and pharmacies, with 1,097 more found out of 46,584 tests performed at health ministry testing sites.

A total of 355 cases came from 4,843 samples taken through private initiative, while 2,489 samples taken through contacts of already confirmed cases turned up 317 positives.

Twenty-six cases were found among 381 samples processed by hospital labs while 164 samples taken through GP referrals yielded seven positives.

In addition, 1,681 samples were taken at airports with 43 positives.

The total number of positives to date is 215,271.

Meanwhile, the north reported 852 cases, found from 25,452 tests performed in the last 24 hours.

The ‘health ministry’ reported that 345 cases were detected in Nicosia, 248 in Kyrenia, 178 in Famagusta, 40 In Morphou, 28 in Trikomo and 13 in Lefka.

A total of 61 coronavirus patients are in hospital with 11 in ICUs.

So far, the north has reported 44,138 cases and 145 deaths

Today

Authorities on Thursday announced three more deaths from Covid-19, while 3,103 more people tested positive for the coronavirus.

The latest fatalities were all men – two aged 86, the other aged 89. One of the 86-year-olds passed away at Famagusta general hospital on Wednesday.

That brings the Covid death toll to 672; the average age of the deceased is 76 years.

In hospitals, 259 people were being treated for Covid-19, of whom 87 were in a serious condition. Of those in a serious condition, 29 were intubated, four in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 54 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 18 post-Covid patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The ministry reported that 74.91 per cent of those in hospital did not have a record of vaccination.

The day’s 3,103 positives came from 122,016 tests – of which 6,671 done with PCR – giving a positivity rate of 2.54 per cent.

A breakdown of the positives: 51 from 2,495 samples taken as part of airport checks; 426 from 3,754 samples taken by private initiative; 15 from 422 samples processed by laboratories at general hospitals; 1,655 from 56,424 samples (antigen rapid tests) processed by private clinical labs and pharmacies; and 956 from 58,921 samples as part of the government’s free screening programme.

In homes for the elderly, nine people tested positive in Limassol district, and one in Famagusta district.

The cumulative number of positives since testing began in March 2020 comes to 218,374.

The health ministry said the numbers cited in its daily bulletins are “indicative” and they may on occasion deviate from updated data used in the National Surveillance Report published every other Friday.

Today

The health ministry announced that there had been no new deaths from Covid-19 on Friday and that 3,042 had tested positive from 122,217 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 2.49 per cent.

The death toll therefore remains at 672.

There are 257 people in hospitals of whom 91 are in serious condition. Of these, 28 are intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 73.1 per cent.

Of the 122,217 tests on Friday, 8,416 were PCR and 113,801rapid tests method, detecting in total 3042 positives as follows:

· 177 from 1,662 samples taken through contract tracing

· 31 from 2,217 samples taken at airports

· 403 from 4,011 samples tested on private initiative.

· 33 from 412 samples processed at hospital labs

· 1,491 from 58,299 rapid test at labs and pharmacies

· 906 from 55,502 tests at the ministry’s free testing programme

· 1 from 114 samples tested after GP referrals

Yesterday

Three people died from coronavirus as 2,351 new cases were detected on Saturday from 95,740 tests, the health ministry announced.

The new deaths bring the number of fatalities to 675. Initially, the health ministry announced the death of an 88-year-old man who died on Friday at the Limassol general hospital. It later issued a statement with an additional two deaths, concerning two men aged 62 and 88 who died at Famagusta general hospital on Saturday.

The ministry said there were 270 people at the hospitals, of whom 88 in serious condition. Of them, 28 were intubated, four were treated in the ICU and the rest 56 at the high dependency unit.

It added that most hospitalised patients, 74.8 per cent, were unvaccinated.

According to the ministry, 86,369 of the 95,740 tests concerned rapid tests and the rest 9,371 PCR, bringing the positivity rate to 2.46 per cent.

The majority, 971, were detected from 49,505 rapid tests carried out in private pharmacies and labs, while 747 of the new cases came after 36,864 samples at the free mobile rapid testing sites operated by the health ministry.

Another 377 cases were detected from 4,396 tests carried out on private initiative, 178 after 1,856 tests for contact tracing purposes, 42 from 2,641 tests at the airports and the remaining 34 from 307 tests at the general hospital labs.

One of the new cases was detected in nursing homes after 144 samples, while two were diagnosed following 172 samples following GP referrals.

Today

The health ministry announced that six people had died of Covid-19 and that 1,971 had tested positive from 95,005  PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 2.07  per cent.

The deaths concerned five women aged 90, 82, 80, and two aged 87, and a man aged 82, taking the total to 681 since March 2020 with an average age of 76.

There are  270 people in hospitals of whom 92 are in serious condition. Of these, are 31 intubated.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 71 per cent.

Of the 95,005 tests on Sunday, 5,589 were PCR and 89,416 rapid tests with 1,971 positives as follows:

36 from 550 samples through contact tracing 
54 from 2,806 samples taken a airports
181 from 1,833 test done on private initiative.
4 from 163 samples processed at hospital labs.
763 from 37,217 rapid tests at private clinical laboratories and pharmacies.
927 from 52,199  tests under the free ministry programme for eligible groups.
6 from 237 samples under GP referrals

Today

Authorities on Tuesday announced that five more people have died of Covid-19, while testing tracked 2,200 new positives.

The latest fatalities were four men – aged 90, 89, 83 and 67 – and a woman aged 86. The 89-year-old man passed away on Monday, the other four on Tuesday.

That brings the Covid death toll to 689; the average age of the deceased is 76.1 years.

Of those who have died 434 were men and 255 women.

In hospitals, 257 people were being treated for Covid-19, of whom 89 are in a serious condition. Of those classified as serious, 38 were intubated, four in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 47 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 17 post-Covid patients continue to be intubated in ICU.

The health ministry reported that 69.65 per cent of those in hospital did not have a vaccination record.

The day’s 104,965 tests detected 2,200 positives – a positivity rate of 2.1 per cent.

A breakdown of the positives: 74 from 1,263 samples detected via contact tracing; six from 191 samples as part of doctors’ referrals; 54 from 2,607 samples taken at the airports; 336 from 4,034 samples via private initiative; 38 from 388 samples processed by laboratories at general hospitals; 1,050 from 45,251 samples (antigen rapid test) processed by private clinical labs and pharmacies; and 642 from 51,231 samples as part of the government’s free screening programme.

Notably, testing at care homes found five positives in Nicosia district, and one positive in Larnaca district.

The cumulative number of positives detected since March 2020 comes to 230,856.

Today

The health ministry announced 2,226 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday out of 95,650 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 2.33 per cent. No deaths were reported.

There are 248 people being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, 92 of whom are in serious condition. Of the 92 patients, 35 are intubated, five are in the ICU without a ventilator and 52 in a High Dependency Unit.

Of all patients, 73.39 per cent are not vaccinated against Covid.

Seventeen post-Covid patients who are no longer infectious are still intubated in the ICU.

As there were no deaths, the total death toll remains 689, of whom 434 were men and 255 women.

Of the 95,650 tests, 6,732 were PCR and 88,918 rapid tests.

The majority, 985 of the 2,226 cases, came from 50,222 rapid tests performed at private labs and pharmacies, with 792 more found out of 38,696 tests performed at health ministry testing sites.

A total of 329 cases came from 3,895 samples taken through private initiative, while 1,007 samples taken through contacts of already confirmed cases turned up 61 positives.

Twenty-four cases were found among 318 samples processed by hospital labs while 135 samples taken through GP referrals yielded no positives.

In addition, 1,376 samples were taken at airports with 35 positives.

The total number of positives to date is 233,082

Today

The health ministry on Thursday announced 11 deaths from Covid-19 – only three of which occurring on the day – while 2,282 more people tested positive for the coronavirus.

The latest announced fatalities were: two women aged 65 and 79, and a man aged 87, who passed away on Thursday; a woman aged 65 who died on January 1; a man aged 71, who died on January 8; a man aged 70, died on January 10; a man aged 70, who died on January 11; a woman aged 85, died on January 18; and two men (aged 63 and 73) and a woman aged 83 who died on January 19.

That brings the death toll to 700; the average age of the deceased is 76 years.

Hospitals were treating 244 patients, of whom 81 were in a serious condition. Of those classed as serious, 34 were intubated, three in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 44 in high-dependency units.

In addition, 18 post-Covid patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The ministry reported that 72.55 per cent of those in hospital did not have a record of vaccination.

Thursday’s 2,282 positives came from a total of 108,670 tests, giving a positivity rate of 2.1 per cent.

A breakdown of the latest positives: 70 from 821 samples detected via contact tracing; 50 from 2,321 samples taken at the airports; 307 from 2,980 samples taken by private initiative; 29 from 317 samples processed by laboratories at the general hospitals; 1,144 from 49,047 samples processed by private clinical labs and pharmacies; 678 from 53,076 samples via the government’s free screening programme; and four from 107 samples as part of doctors’ referrals.

Notably, tests at nursing homes tracked 16 positives in Nicosia district, and two positives in Limassol district.

Today

The health ministry on Friday announced three deaths from Covid-19 while 2,192 more people tested positive after 106,444 tests, a positivity rate of 2.06 per cent.

All three deaths were from previous days and bring the total since the start of the pandemic to 703 with an average age of 76. They involve a woman aged 86 who died on Wednesday, a man aged 85 who died on Thursday and a 73-year-old man who died on January 9, all at Limassol hospital

There are a total of 242 Covid-19 patients in state hospitals, of whom 84 in serious condition. Thirty-three are intubated, five in an ICU but not on a ventilator and the remaining 46 in an increased care unit. Of the hospitalised patients, 70.67 per cent do not have a vaccination history. And 18 post-Covid patients remain intubated in serious condition in an ICU, the ministry added.

The 2,192 new cases announced on Friday bring the total so far to 232,161.

Of these 53 were detected from 553 tests among contacts of confirmed cases, 23 from 1855 tests among arriving passengers at Larnaca and Paphos airports and 323 from 3768 tests carried out by private initiative.

Of the 324 samples tested at the labs of the general hospitals there were 33 infections while 1,176 were detected after 50,564 rapid tests at private labs and pharmacies.

And 49,323 rapid tests were carried out under the health ministry’s programme resulting in 585 positive cases. Of these 90 were in primary schools and 35 in secondary schools. Finally, three cases were detected after 72 tests following referrals from personal doctors and checks of special groups through the public health centres.

Results from the ministry’s rapid testing programme:

Today

Six deaths from coronavirus and 1,984 new infections were announced on Saturday, out of 82,187 PCR and rapid tests, a positivity rate of 2.41 per cent.

Three of the deaths – men aged 66, 72 and 90 – occurred on Friday but were announced on Saturday.

The other three – two men 86 and 66, and a woman, 89 – took place on Saturday.

The health ministry said 240 people are in hospital with the virus, of whom 79 are in serious condition. 73.34 per cent of patients do not have a history of vaccination.

Of the 79 patients in serious condition, 27 are intubated and 52 are in ICUs.

Of the 82,187 tests – 6,229 PCR and 75,958 rapid – the 1,984 cases were identified as follows:

seven cases from 70 samples taken through the process of tracking contacts of already confirmed cases.
32 cases from 2,172 samples taken as part of passenger checks at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
345 cases from 3,723 tests taken through private initiative.
14 cases from 232 samples taken from the labs of state hospitals.
926 cases from 43,328 samples tested by the antigen rapid test method in private clinical laboratories and pharmacies.
660 cases from 32,630 rapid tests through the programme of the health ministry
The total number of deaths with Covid-19 given as a final cause now stands at 709, of which 447 were men (63%), and 262 were women (37%). The average age of those who have died is 76

Yesterday

Three people died from coronavirus on Sunday as the ministry reported 1,813 new Covid cases.

The three deaths bring to 712 the total number who have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic.

Of all deaths 447 were men and 265 women.

The three latest deaths refer to three women, aged 76, 85 and 84, two of which died on Sunday and one on Saturday, all in the Limassol hospital.

Meanwhile there are 238 patients in hospital, of which 76 are in a serious condition.

Of the serious cases, 27 are intubated, four are in ICU but not on a ventilator and 45 are in a high dependency unit.

Among all patients in hospital 73.53 per cent have no history of vaccinations.

There are also 21 post Covid patients who remain in intensive care units.

A total of 83,323 tests were carried out on Sunday meaning the 1,813 new cases was a positivity rate of 2.18 per cent.

Among the tests 4,564 were PCR and 78,759 rapid tests.

Among the PCR tests 44 positives were found from 352 tests taken among contacts of known positives while 60 were found among 2,037 people at Larnaca and Paphos airports.

In addition 149 were found among 1,866 taken on private initiative.

Seven cases were found among 137 tests carried out at labs in state hospitals and 666 from 30,703 tests carried out at private labs and clinics.

Among 48,056 rapid tests taken at health ministry testing sites 885 positives were found in addition to two from 172 tests taken on doctors’ orders.

The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic has reached 235,958.

Meanwhile in the north two people died from Covid and 410 new cases were found on Sunday from 14,397 tests.

The total number of cases in the north since the start of the pandemic has reached 50,297 while 157 people have died.