Health Minister convenes advisory meeting amidst rising Covid cases

The Minister of Health, Poppy Kanari, is scheduled to convene a meeting with the Scientific Advisory Group on Wednesday at 15:00 to address the surge in coronavirus cases.

Professor Petros Karagiannis, a specialist in Microbiology and Molecular Virology at the Medical School of the University of Nicosia, explained to "K" that the gathering aims to analyze the current epidemiological data, assess the overall situation, and evaluate the necessity of implementing or recommending existing measures within healthcare facilities and enclosed spaces.

Emphasizing that decisions will be contingent on hospitalizations, Karagiannis reassured that current hospitalization rates are not causing undue concern. He attributed the spike in cases to the emergence of a new strain of COVID-19 and highlighted that the elderly, the demographic primarily affected, have not been fully vaccinated. Responding to queries about case numbers, Karagiannis referenced the Health Minister's mention of 2,000 to 2,500 cases last week.

However, it is essential to highlight that according to OKYPY data, the current count of individuals hospitalized with coronavirus exceeds 70, with three elderly patients in the Intensive Care Unit. Karagiannis clarified that, at this point, the situation regarding hospitalizations remains manageable.

The Ministry is expected to issue a statement following the conclusion of the meeting.