Coronavirus: two deaths and 760 new cases announced on Tuesday (updated)

Two people died from Covid-19, as 760 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours after 42,877 tests, the health ministry said Tuesday.

In a written statement, the ministry said 292 people were being treated in hospital for the virus, including 73 in serious or critical condition. Their average age is 58.6 years.

The deaths concern an 82-year-old woman, who had received the first dose of a vaccine, and a man, 86, who had not been vaccinated. The ministry has stopped revealing if the people who died had underlying conditions.

The number of people who died from the virus since March 2020 has reached 303 – 199 men and 104 women. The average age of the deceased is 78.

Of the 73 patients in serious or critical condition, 31 were intubated, seven were being treated in the ICU without intubation, and 35 in high dependency units.

Of the 760 new infections, 160 concerned close contacts of previously confirmed cases. They were detected among 1,413 samples. The overall positivity rate was 1.77 per cent.

Most cases were reported by test centres conducting mass screenings across the Republic who detected 372 among 33,640 samples tested by antigen tests.

Four cases were detected among 1,435 passengers tested at the two airports. Private labs reported 155 infections among 4,954 samples while state hospital labs reported 30 cases in 332 samples.

Two infections were among 163 samples collected from people referred by GPs.

Private labs also reported 37 cases among 940 tests carried out by antigen tests.

In Nicosia, 146 infections were reported after 13,425 tests, a positivity rate of 1.09 per cent; Limassol had 96 cases from 8,290 tests, 1.08 per cent; Larnaca had the highest positivity rate, 1.45 per cent, or 75 cases after 5,177 tests while Paphos reported 34 cases in 3,209 tests. 1.06 per cent. Famagusta had 16 cases in 1,924 tests, a positivity rate of 0.83 per cent.

Turkish Cypriots reported two deaths and 70 new infections on Tuesday after 8,925 tests.

Thirty-one people have died in the north while the number of recorded infections reached 6,141.