Coronavirus: Report shows diagnosis rate of 173 per 100,000 population

The health ministry’s latest coronavirus report showed that 388,117 tests in the past fortnight identified 1,536 positive cases, working out at a 14-day cumulative diagnosis rate of 173 per 100,000.

It reflects the improving epidemiological situation of recent weeks, after a surge led to a 14-day cumulative diagnosis rate of more than 600 per 100,000 at the turn of the year.

Released on Friday, the report is packed with data stretching all the way back to the outbreak in March until February 9, while also detailing the past two weeks in particular.

A surge in testing, 25,665 RT PCR and 362,452 rapid antigen tests in the past fortnight equals 2,890.2 RT PCR and 40,816.7 rapid antigen tests per 100,000 people.

Notably, 99 per cent of the cases were locally transmitted with just 1 per cent being imported.

Of the 1,536 people testing positive, 35.4 per cent reported no symptoms at the time of diagnosis and 64.6 per cent reported at least one symptom while 24.4 per cent reported at least one comorbidity.

As for the deaths, of which Cyprus has reported 217 “Covid-19 associated deaths”, 148 (68.2 per cent were men) and 69 were women with a median age of 81; the case fatality risk is 0.7 per cent.

Nicosia has recorded the highest number of deaths with 74 (34.1 per cent) followed by Limassol with 64 (29.5 per cent), Larnaca with 42 (19.4 per cent), Paphos with 17 (7.8 per cent) and finally Famagusta with 14 (6.5 per cent).

The median time from date of sampling to death (due to Covid-19) was 13 days.

In total, 1,603 people (5.1 per cent) diagnosed with Covid-19 received hospital treatment and the median age of those hospitalised is 66. They are also mainly men, 933, or 58.3 per cent.