Coronavirus death toll and confirmed cases record small rise

The death of a 75-year-old man on Monday raised the coronavirus death toll to 15, while the confirmation of five new cases brought total known cases in the Republic of Cyprus to 822.

Coronavirus cases in the north remained stable at 108.

The 75-year-old, who suffered from serious underlying health conditions, succumbed to his coronavirus infection at the Nicosia General Hospital ICU.

So far, of the 15 coronavirus fatalities in the Republic, 11 were men and four were women.

Monday’s new cases emerged after the processing of 1,796 samples, and involved one employee tested in the framework of the 20,000 targeted tests on workers still coming into contact with the public, one who voluntarily got tested at a private lab, and three who were tested upon returning to the island from abroad.

“These numbers enhance the encouraging picture painted in recent days,” virology professor at the University of Cyprus and government consultant Leondios Kostrikis said during the Health Ministry’s daily briefing.

He added that “tomorrow, the scientific team will propose to the President of the Republic to activate the plan for the easing of measures,” but final decisions will be taken by Cabinet on Wednesday.

According to the experts speaking at the briefing, the government has given a green light for the testing of 10% of residents at migrant camps.