Coronavirus: No deaths, 153 people test positive on Thursday (Updated)

No new deaths from Covid-19 were announced on Thursday, while testing came up with 153 new positives.

Hospitals were treating 60 patients, of whom 22 in a serious condition; and of these, nine were intubated, one in ICU but not on a ventilator, and 12 in high-dependency units.

In addition, ten post-Covid-19 patients continued to be intubated in ICU.

The health ministry reported that 65.08 per cent of those in hospital did not have a vaccination record.

A total of 54,108 tests were carried out (of which 4,559 with PCR), with the 153 positives representing a positivity rate of 0.28 per cent.

That brings to 121,995 the cumulative total of positives since the outbreak began in March 2020.

Thursday’s 153 positives broke down as follows: 26 from 370 samples via contact tracing; six from 2,443 samples taken at the airports; 20 from 1,403 samples taken by private initiative; five from 216 samples processed by microbiology laboratories at the general hospitals; one from 127 samples taken as part of doctor referrals; 71 from 29,766 samples (antigen rapid test) processed at private clinical labs and pharmacies; and 24 from 19,783 samples processed as part of the health ministry’s free testing programme.

Zero positives turned up from testing at care homes in the Nicosia and Limassol districts. Testing at primary and secondary schools yielded four positives.