Coronavirus: August sees 86 per cent rise in deaths over previous month (updated)

August has seen an 86 per cent rise in Covid deaths compared with the previous month, according to the national epidemiological report released on Friday.

Eighty-five people died from Covid-19 in August, equalling the number of deaths seen in December last year and January – 85 and 86 respectively.

Together, the three months with the highest death rates represent 43 per cent of the total number of deaths – 507 on September 1.

They are followed by April 2021 with 11 per cent (66), May 2021, 10 per cent (10), and July 2021 8 per cent (46).

By September 1, 589 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus had died – 383 men, or 65 per cent, and 206 women.

Of those, 86 per cent had Covid-19 as the underlying cause. They concern 327 men, or 64.5 per cent, and 180 women.

Almost one in five deaths, or 106 people, concerned people in the 80 to 84 age group. The median age is 78.

The majority of deaths, 184, or 36 per cent, were reported in the district of Limassol, followed by Nicosia with 164, or 32 per cent.

Larnaca had 95 deaths, 19 per cent, Paphos, 34, 7 per cent and Famagusta 23, 5 per cent.

The location was unspecified in five cases while two related to overseas residents.

Limassol had the highest mortality rate per 100,000 people – 74.1 – followed by Larnaca with 63.8.

Nicosia was third with 47.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, Famagusta had 47, and Paphos 35.5.

The mortality rate by the end of August was 0.4 per cent, as the number of recorded cases between March 2020 and the end of August reached 115,263.

Of those, 3,722 were detected between August 17 and August 30 or 410.1 per 100,000 people.

In the 14 days covered by the report, Cyprus conducted 428,564 PCR tests, or 48,261 per 100,000, and 206,331 rapid antigen tests, or 23,235 per 100,000.

The median age of the infected individuals was 30 while 50.1 cases, or 1,844, concerned men and 1,836 women.

Close to 6 per cent, or 203 people, concerned cases with recent travel history while 94.1 per cent, or 3,262, were community infections. Information was only available for 3,465 cases.

On September 1, 145 people were being treated in hospital with a median age of 63. Close to 53 per cent were men and 39.4 per cent were from Limassol.

Forty-nine patients out of 114 people for whom the information was available reported underlying conditions.

According to available data, 29 people diagnosed by August 30 were being treated in an ICU, 27 intubated.

The median age of those in ICU was 57, and 21 were men.