The health ministry announced 272 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday from a record 43,958 PCR and rapid tests – almost double the usual amount – yielding a positivity rate of 0.62 per cent.

There were no new deaths.

From the 43,958 tests carried out, 2,350 were PCR and 41,608 were rapid tests.

Out of all the positive cases detected on Friday, 143 came through the rapid testing and 93 of those were detected in Limassol where the situation remains negative.

By comparison, only 24 of the new positives were in Nicosia and in all of the other districts less than 10 each.

Limassol also came highest in positivity at 0.9 per cent compared with the overall 0.6 per cent.

Of the remaining tests, 79 positives came from 394 samples taken through contact tracing, and 33 from 1,318 samples taken through private initiative.

Eleven out of 344 samples processed by hospital labs were positive.

In addition, 269 samples were taken at airports and 25 were taken through GP referrals with no positives.

There are 80 people in hospital, 17 of whom are in serious condition. Of them, 11 are intubated, two are in ICU and four in a high dependency unit.