The health ministry announced that one person had died of Covid-19 and 695 had tested positive from 82,410 tests, a positivity rate of 0.84 per cent.

The death concerns a 62-year-old woman who died at Nicosia general hospital.

The number of lives claimed by the virus since March last year is 617 with infections reaching 144,205.

There are 171 people in hospitals of whom 57 in serious condition.

The ministry said that the percentage of unvaccinated patients was 74.71 per cent.

Eight post-Covid patients continued to be on a ventilator, the ministry said.

Of the 57 people in serious condition, 20 were intubated, one was in the ICU off the ventilator, and 36 in high dependency units.

Of the 695 cases, 144 concerned close contacts of previously confirmed cases detected in 1,729 samples.

Forty cases were found in 5,210 samples tested at the two airports and 105 cases were detected in 3,345 samples tested privately.

Three cases were reported by state hospital labs in 321 tests. Private labs and pharmacies reported 292 cases in 48,178 samples tested using rapid antigen tests.

Units taking part in the state’s mass screening programme reported 111 infections in 23,523 samples.