A 24-year-old patient is the youngest person at the coronavirus reference hospital in Famagusta, that is now treating 68 people with Covid-19, director Amalia Hadjiyianni said on Thursday.

According to Hadjiyianni the average age of coronavirus patients has dropped to 62 since older people have now been vaccinated.

“People of various ages are being treated at the moment at the reference hospital with the youngest at 24,” Hadjiyianni told the Cyprus News Agency.

Out of the total of 68 patients being treated at the hospital, six of them are in the high-dependency unit. On Wednesday 14 people were discharged after repeatedly testing negative, she said.

“However, we are in a critical phase during this period, since in the last 10 days there have been several admissions to the hospital of patients who show symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection,” she added.

Hadjiyianni said that the Famagusta hospital’s outpatient clinics and the accident and emergency department continue to operate while locals in need of treatment are referred mainly to the Larnaca and Nicosia general hospitals.

She also called on people to follow all the protection measures and the decrees to reduce admissions to public hospitals and to treat people who have serious symptoms and really need treatment.

Until Wednesday evening, 218 people were in hospital islandwide, of whom 44 in serious condition. Fifteen patients were intubated.