Famagusta hospital, the reference hospital for coronavirus cases, is currently 99 per cent full, its medical director Amalia Hadjiyianni said on Monday.

“Today 74 patients with coronavirus are being treated at the general hospital of Famagusta, of which six are in the high dependency unit, as they need closer monitoring,” she said.

“The hospital has reached 99 per cent of its capacity since a total of 75 people can be treated.”

Many patients are in serious condition and depend on oxygen therapy, she added.

The average age is 59 years, with the youngest patient being a 26-year-old woman and the oldest an 80-year-old woman.

The young woman has no medical record of underlying conditions, Hadjiyianni explained, “and this should scare everybody as even a person without a record can be severely ill.”

The director also commented on the vaccination of the hospital staff, saying it is proceeding smoothly and the morale of the staff who fight every day to improve the lives of the patients.

“The staff has been accustomed to this situation for a long time, since they have been working at this pace for about 13 months now.”

She urged everybody to comply with protective measures and decrees issued by the health ministry in order to improve the situation.