Coronavirus: One death, 535 cases reported on Saturday

One person died from Covid-19 and 535 new infections were detected after 65,358, tests, a positivity rate of 0.82 per cent, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The death concerns a 76-year-old man who died at Paphos general hospital.

At the same time 118 people were hospitalised with Covid, 45 in serious or critical condition.

The number of deaths from the virus since March last year is 592 while recorded infections reached 132,937.

Three post-Covid patients remain intubated in critical condition.

Of the 45 in serious or critical condition, 16 are intubated, two are being treated in an ICU off the ventilator, and 27 were in high dependency units.

Of the new infections, 142 were close contacts of previously confirmed cases detected in 1,625 samples.

Seventy-six cases were among 2,483 samples tested privately and an additional four were reported by state hospital labs from 197 samples tested.

Private labs and pharmacies reported 177 cases in 42,037 samples tested using rapid antigen tests and units taking part in the state’s screening programme detected an additional 134 cases in 17,454 samples.

Two cases were among 1,562 samples collected from people referred by GPs.