Coronavirus: Youngest Covid patient at Famagusta hospital is 32

The youngest Covid patient at Famagusta reference hospital is 32 years old and the oldest 74, with an average age of 55, the facility’s scientific director Amalia Hadjiyianni said on Friday.

Hadjiyianni said that at the moment, 20 people are being treated for Covid at the reference hospital, five of whom are in the High Dependency Unit as they are in need of closer monitoring.

Out of all Covid patients at Famagusta hospital, 75 per cent have not been vaccinated against the virus, while the corresponding number for all public hospitals is 65 per cent, she added.

In addition, 62 people will remain at Eden rehabilitation centre until they are fully negative.

“Compared to other European member states, in Cyprus there is a stability in hospital admissions thanks to mass vaccination, without that meaning we must rest on our laurels”.

At the same time, Famagusta hospital has reached 95 per cent capacity because of an exacerbation of other illnesses such as viral infections, cardiac, nephrological and even orthopaedic cases, she added.

Beyond keeping to personal hygiene measures, Hadjiyianni said, people need convincing arguments to get them to vaccinate and get their booster shots.

“Since the virus is quickly spreading across the EU, we must faithfully stick to the health ministry’s measures to avoid reaching previous levels as the fifth wave of the virus approaches”.

Hadjiyianni also said that scientists are concerned about the fact travel to and from Cyprus continues despite the fact other countries are experiencing this fifth wave already and stressed that we must be meticulous with our checks to avoid any issues.

Finally, she expressed confidence that the use of the CovScan app to digitally verify EUDCC certificate will help Cyprus to carry out more effective checks.