Covid-19 cases on the rise ahead of Christmas

The number of Covid-19 cases in Cyprus is once again on the rise and is expected to increase further over the holiday period, medical services director Elisavet Constantinou said on Thursday.

Constantinou was speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) and said an increase in cases had been seen in the first week of December, but that this increase had not corresponded to an increase in hospital admissions.

There was a total of 1,538 total cases recorded between December 1 and December 7, with 32 people hospitalised with Covid-19 in the same period.

Constantinou added that the increase is due to “people engaging in more social contacts during this period and are starting to gather in closed spaces.”

“We always see increases during the holiday season,” she said.

Additionally, she said she encourages people to get fresh vaccinations against the disease, saying that only 18,000 people have received vaccines this autumn.

She added that she “especially urges those exhibiting symptoms of respiratory infection to confine themselves to their homes and to wear a mask when they need to leave the house”.

In more positive news, she said there were no new variants of the virus in Cyprus, but said she urges the public to observe personal protection measures.