Collective efforts paying off as 15 new COVID-19 cases announced

Coronavirus cases in the Republic of Cyprus reached 750 on Friday after the Health Ministry confirmed that 15 more had tested positive.

Friday’s new cases involve:

• Four identified after 1,723 were tested from among the total 20,000 targeted tests one private and public sector employees still coming into contact with the public. Since the round of tests began on Saturday, 6,499 have so far been completed.
• Three who tested positive after 381 contacts of other known cases were tested.
• Two from a total of 162 tests conducted from staff of the Microbiological Labs of the island’s General Hospitals.
• Six from among a bulk of 587 tests conducted on employees of the State Health Services Organization.

From the 388 lab tests conducted at the private initiative of the public, none tested positive.

The Health Ministry’s expert epidemiological team said the results of the last few days are forming a positive picture, that proves that the collective efforts of the island’s population are paying off.

Dr Marios Loizou, Scientific Director of the Nicosia Division of the State Health Services Organization, said “the road is still long. The virus remains without an effective treatment and without a vaccine to stop it in its tracks. It remains a central duty for all of us to protect public health, particularly of vulnerable groups.”

Dr Loizou stressed that even so, “life must slowly begin to restart,” noting that for this to happen, for a “golden balance to be found between a relaxation of measures and a potential need that may arise as a result of an increase of cases once measures relax,” the healthcare system must remain able to deal with an increased flow of patients.

“As long as the healthcare system can cope, life can continue edging closer to normality,” he said.

Dr Loizou stressed that defeating the virus will be a long-winding task, that we will accomplish once a vaccine is found or once a large part of the population gains immunity.