SEVEN NEW CASES TODAY

 Filenews 18 September 2020

The Ministry of Health informs that, according to an update received today by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit from contracting laboratories, out of a total of 3,039 laboratory diagnoses, 7 new cases of COVID-19 disease have been identified.

In detail, virus-positive individuals emerged as follows:

• Of 105 samples taken through the process of tracing contacts of already confirmed cases, 3 cases were identified.
• Of 772 samples taken through a private initiative, 3 cases were identified.
• Of 170 samples taken from the Microbiological Laboratories of the General Hospitals, 1 case was identified.

Specific:

• 1 detected by Microbiological Laboratories of General Hospitals: This is a person who had anosmia from 13/9 and brains and runny nose from 14/9. He did the test on 17/9.
• 3 by private initiative:

1. The first person is the footballer of Nea Salamina who announced the club itself earlier. This is a person who came to Cyprus from Angola via Portugal and Vienna on 14/9. He has no symptoms.
2. The second person did the test privately due to symptoms he had from 14/9.
3. The third person did the test on a private initiative. He's not reporting any symptoms or contact with another case.

• 3 by tracing contacts, one of which through a private initiative:

1. The 1st person is a colleague of ocean basket workers (15/9 and 17/9). It is noted that both the person announced yesterday and today, have been in self-contained contact since 15/9 when the first case was detected in the restaurant. Today's the third person in the cluster.
2. The other 2 people are contacts and are linked to cases from the cluster that started on 9/9, without being primary contacts of the 1st case announced. The two people are from a different "branch" of the chain. In total, the chain has 18 cases.

In addition, the following laboratory tests were carried out, without the detection of a case:

• From samples taken as part of a passenger and repatriated check, 1,384 laboratory tests were completed,
• From samples taken as part of the migrant structure control programme, 48 laboratory diagnoses were carried out,
• From the laboratory testing programme of 5,000 people aged 18-40 years in places with a high confusion of individuals, 123 laboratory tests were completed,
• From samples taken under the programme of referrals from Personal Physicians and special team control through the Public Health Clinics, 52 laboratory diagnoses were carried out,
• From a program carried out by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order for the control of staff working on the premises of the Courts, we had a result for 1 sample, and
• Samples taken as part of the student, teacher and school staff control programme completed 384 laboratory diagnoses.

Therefore, and on the basis of the data so far, the total number of cases amounts to 1,565.

In addition, six people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at Famagusta General Hospital, one of whom is in the Increased Care Unit. A COVID-19 patient remains off the ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit of the Nicosia General Hospital.

Source: Eyenews