Coronavirus: Two deaths, 121 new cases (updated)

Health authorities on Wednesday announced the death of two men from Covid-19 and the detection of 121 new infections from 25,414 tests, a positivity rate of 0.48 per cent.

Since the start of the pandemic in March last year, 227 people have died while the number of recorded infections has climbed to 32,828.

The health ministry said 81 people were being treated in hospital with 21 in serious or critical condition.

The deaths concerned two men, aged 79 and 80, both with underlying health problems.

The virus has so far claimed the lives of 153 men and 74 women whose average age was 79.

Of the 81 people in state hospitals, 13 were intubated while two were being treated in ICUs but off the ventilator.

Six people were in high dependency units.

Of the 121 new infections, 34 concerned close contacts of previously confirmed cases detected from 261 samples.

Sixty-six cases were detected after 23,506 rapid antigen tests across the island, while 15 were among 865 samples tested by private laboratories.

Four cases were among 303 samples tested by state hospital laboratories and one from 248 samples collected from people referred by their GPs.

One case was found in 53 samples collected from migrants at reception centres.

Turkish Cypriots announced one death from Covid and 27 new cases from 3,590 tests.

Since March last year, 21 people died in the north from the virus while the number of recorded infections reached 3,132.