Two people who contracted the new coronavirus (COVID-19) and were treated in the intensive care units (ICU) of Limassol and Nicosia General Hospitals, respectively, died on Tuesday in Cyprus.
According to an announcement, one victim is a 63-year-old British national, who also suffered from other illnesses, and the other a 58 year old Cypriot without any medical record.
Moreover, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday eight more confirmed cases of COVID-19, following an update by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics.
Three out of the eight new cases were traced among the contacts of people who have already contracted COVID-19. Two more people, who returned from European countries, showed symptoms and contacted the authorities. The medical record of the remaining three people is under investigation.
The Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health has already started the process of tracing the contacts of all eight cases and will take samples to conduct tests.
In view of the latest developments, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Cyprus rose to 124, including three cases detected in the British Bases. Sixty-five out of the total were people who contracted COVID-19 from other contacts.
Four people are on ICU ventilators, two of them in Limassol General Hospital and the other two in Nicosia General Hospital. More people might need to be treated in the ICU in the future, the announcement says. Another 19 people are treated at Famagusta General Hospital, three of them in the ICU. One more person is hospitalized at Nicosia General Hospital.
Health Ministry experts note that the effort to address the pandemic has entered a new stage. “We are dealing with the most severe cases. We hoped that this would not happen, but it happened” they said, adding that their main problem is how to address acute pneumonia.
The big battles are now fought daily at ICU’s and supporting departments, they noted, adding that they need time in order to prepare appropriately, as this is the case in other countries around the world.
Apart from Famagusta Hospital, which operates as a reference hospital for the coronavirus, there are chambers to sort out suspicious cases both at Limassol and Larnaca General Hospitals.
Additional rooms have been emptied at the Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca General Hospitals, to either host new cases that need to be sorted out or to hospitalize confirmed cases with pneumonia.
According to the announcement, a total of 32 beds in ICUs are available throughout Cyprus, to treat COVID-19 patients. These beds may increase to 125, with the addition of 89 beds in Nicosia and 4 in Limassol.
Experts underlined finally the importance of delaying the spread of the virus, saying that each day that passes is vital. Conveying finally the agony of medical staff, they called on people to stay at home and give them time to prepare, in order to deal with the virus.
