There were 6,579 deaths recorded in Cyprus during 2020, while 59,533 patients were hospitalised in general hospitals across the country, statistics published on Thursday revealed.

The figures from Cyprus’ statistical service centered on health and hospitalisations during the year 2020. The stats do not differentiate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which was declared in March 2020. There were 120 deaths attributed to Covid throughout the year.

Just over half of the total 6,579 deaths in 2020 were men at 53 per cent, with 3,487 deaths, while 47 per cent of deaths were women, amounting to 3,092 individuals.

The main causes of death were diseases linked to the circulatory system (28.5 per cent), tumours (24 per cent), respiratory diseases (9.5 per cent), diseases of the endocrine glands, or related to nutrition and metabolism (7.6 per cent), as well as injuries and poisonings from external causes (4.7 per cent).

Where hospital discharges are concerned, patients with tumours amounted to 10.3 per cent, followed by those with circulatory system diseases at 7.4 per cent.

Discharged patients with respiratory issues and injuries, poisonings or other external causes amounted to 6.4 per cent while those with diseases in their digestive and genitourinary system at 5 per cent. All other categories gather a percentage of 22.1 per cent, while for 37.4 per cent of cases, the diagnosis was not declared.

According to the publication, the bed occupancy rate for state health services (Okypy) general hospitals was 64.1 per cent. In rural hospitals, the figure amounted to 34 per cent.

Statistics for private hospitals were not available due to the fact that they only joined the national health scheme (Gesy) in the second half of 2020.

There were 1,045 patients treated and discharged from the Kyperounda and Polis hospitals.