CYPRUS REPORTS 1,024 COVID-19 CASES, 26 DEATHS

in-cyprus 17 July 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

A total of 1,024 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths were reported in Cyprus as of Tuesday July 14, the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

Among these cases, 18.8% are health-care workers (192), 3.9% physicians (40), 9.5% nurses (97), 1.3% other health occupations (13), and 4.1% auxiliary staff (42).

The median age of cases is 44 years – ranging from 30-58 years – with 51.8% being male and 48.2% female.

Overall, of 879 cases for which the place of exposure was known, locally acquired infections (index cases and close-contacts of confirmed cases) were 687 (78.2%).

Of these 8.3% (57) were related to a health-care facility – General Hospital in Pafos – and 12.2% (84) were reported in Aradippou municipality.

Between July 1 and 14, 26 cases were reported, 62% (16) were imported, and 38% (10) were locally-acquired.

In total, 17.7% (181) of cases received hospital care, and two (1.1%) are still hospitalised – either for treatment of COVID-19 symptoms or for pre-existing conditions).

Median age of all hospitalized patients is 62 years (48-73 years) and 64.6% are males.

There are no patients in intensive care units.

Among cases alive, 847 (84.9%) have recovered without symptoms and with two negative tests following their diagnosis.

A total of 176,174 tests have been performed as of July 14, that is 20,113.5 per 100,000 population.

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The 80th Birthday of Marina Karella: Greek Artist and Princess

Marina and Michael of Greece in 1965

Today, Princess Marina of Greece celebrates her eightieth birthday.

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Marina Karella was born in Athens on 17 July 1940 to Theodor Karella and Elli Chalikiopoulos. Marina's father, Theodor, was a textile industrialist.

Marina Karella

Between 1960-1963, Marina attended the Athens School of Fine Arts, where she was a student of the painters Yannis Tsarouchis and Oskar Kokoschka. She continued her studies at the Ecole des beaux-arts in Paris (1963-1965) and at the Kokoschka School in Salzburg.

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On Monday, 19 October 1964, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark received permission from his cousin King Constantine II of the Hellenes to marry Marina Karella. Prince Michael, born at Rome on 7 January 1939, was the only child of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888-1940) and Princess Françoise d'Orléans (1900-1953), who had married in 1929. Marina and Michael set their wedding for February 1965. 

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Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark and Marina Karella were married at Athens on 7 February 1965. The wedding was attended by King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie, Queen Mother Frederica, Princess Irene, as well as by the Count and Countess of Paris. Henri and Isabelle had largely raised Michael after the early death of his mother. As a result of the morganatic union between Michael and Marina, the prince gave up his rights of succession to the Greek throne.

Prince Michael, Princess Marina, Princess Alexandra, and Princess Olga. 

Princess Marina and Prince Michael of Greece.

Prince Michael and Princess Marina have two children, both daughters. Princess Alexandra Elli Francisca Maria of Greece was born at Athens on 15 October 1968. Three years later, she was joined by a younger sister, Princess Olga Isabella of Greece, who was born at Athens on 17 November 1971. 

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Marina divided her time between Athens and Paris. Her artistic career began in 1966 when she presented her first painting at the Two Worlds Festival in Italy. Marina's work was first exhibited at the Galleria Levi in ​​Milan in 1971. In the 1970s, she exhibited at the Gallery Iolas her white paintings, which are now considered one of the most famous pieces of her work. She later worked on plaster, marble, and metal engravings. During her residence in New York in the 1980s, her paintings were characterised as "darker", while her most recent works are portraits or images inspired by nature.

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Princess Marina of Greece has had exhibitions in various cities around the world, such as New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, and London, and her works are exhibited in major museums and institutions. She has had more than thirty solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad. In 2005 a retrospective exhibition of her work was organized at the Benaki Museum.

Princess Marina and Prince Michael of Greece with their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. 

In 1998, Marina's elder daughter Princess Alexandra of Greece married Nicolas Mirzayantz (b.1963). Alexandra and Nicolas have two children: Tigran (b.2000) and Darius (b.2002). In 2008, Marina's younger daughter Princess Olga of Greece married Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Aosta (b.1967). Olga and Aimone have three children: Umberto (b.2009), Amedeo (b.2011), and Isabella (b.2012). 

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Princess Marina and her husband live between their homes in Paris and Patmos. 

To learn more about Marina Karella, one may visit her website: Official website of Marina Karella

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Dillon Chee

Dillon Chee

Misc. Modeling Pictures

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6 NEW COVID CASES TODAY - 3 TRACED BACK FROM TURKEY

in-cyprus 16 July 2020 -ByMaria Bitar

Six new Covid-19 cases were detected in Cyprus today, with the count now reaching a total of 1,031 so far.  According to an announcement that utilised the data released by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health out of a total of 1,504 laboratory diagnoses 6 cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected.

Specifically, those who tested positive with the virus emerged as follows:

Out of a total of 767 samples procured as part of the passenger and repatriate control, 1 case was detected.
Out of a total of 131 samples taken under the referral program by Personal Physicians and control of special groups through the Public Health Clinics, 3 cases were detected.
Out of a total of 95 samples taken as part of the process of tracking the contacts of already confirmed cases, 2 cases were detected.

Specifically, these were 3 people who arrived in the occupied areas from Syria via Turkey and were checked before being admitted to the immigration reception centre in Pournara.
The 4th person is a Brazilian football player of the Young Lakes Association who arrived from Brazil via Zurich with a special permit yesterday on July 15th. A test was administered to him at the airport.
The other 2 people are contacts from the family environment of the hotel worker that was announced as a case on 8/7.

Based on current data, overall the total number of positive cases amounts to 1,031.

Source: Philenews

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THREE EYE DOCTORS MADE €1.7m FROM GESY IN SIX MONTHS SAYS AUDIT OFFICE

Cyprus Mail 16 July 2020 - by Andria Kades

Three ophthalmologists made €1.7m in the space of six months, Auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides said in a letter to the House committee on public expenditure oversight revealed on Thursday.

Elements of the letter, published in both Politis and Phileleftheros revealed the auditor’s concerns that the financial elements of Gesy may be crumbling from within, with procedures that lack transparency and doctors who could be abusing the system.

Michaelides’ letter expressed concern that despite him publishing possible instances of doctors abusing the system financially between June and October 2019, signs of opportunism gone too far were still evident in November and December.

One company for instance, had three ophthalmologists as specialists and for the period between June and December 2019, had reaped a hefty €1.7m.

Michaelides said there were several instances where specialist doctors were getting compensated with over €100,000 per month.

It appears that several doctors are registering under the name of a company for tax avoidance purposes he added, and although perhaps abuse of the system can’t be completely eradicated, it can be significantly reduced.

The auditor’s letter went on to say that 37 agreements were signed with private clinics, which were shrouded with lack of transparency, and the differences in the unit price pay ranged between €3,000 to €4,600.

Michaelides also condemned the fact that while the public was paying for the second phase of Gesy, not all services were included, as some are expected to become available in September.

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TWO COUNTRIES CHANGE CATEGORY IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

in-cyprus 16 July 2020 -ByMaria Bitar

The Turkish-Cypriot side has announced that two countries, Australia and Serbia, have changed categories regarding the terms of arrival of people from them.

According to reports from the Northern side of the island, an announcement by the so-called “Ministry of Health” states that Australia has now passed from category A to B, that is two PCR tests are needed, one to arrive and a second administered upon arrival. Serbia went from category B to category C, which requires a negative PCR to come and a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

In the meantime, it was announced just today that the Turkish Cypriot Association of Journalists has signed a protocol with the “health ministry” of the pseudo-government for conducting a free PCR test on holders of journalist ID cards for crossing into the free zones.

According to the Occupied Territories, the protocol includes that this test will be free of charge for a certain number of journalists from any media outlet that has a journalist ID card and wants to cross over to the free areas for reporting purposes. This regulation will apply to a maximum of four people from each media/print/electronic/online outlets while it will also apply to those who work as freelancers provided they also have a journalist ID card.

The list with the names of all the above will be passed on by the association of Turkish journalists to the Turkish regime and it is noted that the protocol will be valid as long as necessary in order to facilitate the crossings in the midst of the measures in effect during the pandemic.

Source: Philenews/CNA

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BRITAIN SAYS - RUSSIA TRYING TO HACK AND STEAL COVID-19 VACCINE DATA

in-cyprus 16 July 2020 -ByMaria Bitar

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported that hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal treatment research pertaining to Covid-19 as well as a vaccine for it from pharmaceutical and academic institutions around the world.

A joint statement by Britain, Canada and the US attributes the attacks to a group said to be operating almost certainly as part of the Russian Intelligence Services (RIS) that goes by the name of APT29 and is also known as “Cozy Bear”.

The NCSC released a statement saying the group’s attacks were ongoing and used a variety of tools and techniques like custom malware and spear-phishing. Paul Chichester, the Director of Operations of NCSC is also quoted saying that they “condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the corona virus pandemic”. It was further stated by the NCSC that “APT29 is likely to continue to target organisations involved in COVID-19 vaccine research and development, as they seek to answer additional intelligence questions relating to the pandemic”.

Britain and the US have previously said that networks of hackers were targeting national and international organisations responding to the Covid-19 pandemic however such attacks have not previously been explicitly connected to the Russian state as they are now.

The same Russian government-linked group, aka “Cozy Bear” is also widely suspected of having hacked the Democratic Party ahead of the 2016 US elections.

Source: London Reuters

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WANTED FOR BREAKING AND ENTERING AND THEFT

in-cyprus 16 July 2020 -ByMaria Bitar

Police are looking for the person depicted in the photos, in the context of the investigation of a case of burglary and theft, an offence committed on 13/7/2020, in a restaurant in Nicosia.

Anyone who knows anything pertaining to the case which will help in locating him, should please contact the Nicosia Police Department at 22802222/22802231 or the Citizen Contact Line at 1460 or the nearest Police Station or online via the Crime Report form that can be found in the Cyprus Police application.

 

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PAPHOS HOSPITAL IN DESPERATE NEED OF UPGRADE SAYS MAYOR

Cyprus Mail 16 July 2020 -by Annette Chrysostomou

Paphos General Hospital

Paphos general hospital is 30 years old and needs a thorough renovation and expansion, Paphos mayor Phaedonas Phaedonos said on Thursday.

Procedures to ensure the hospital becomes a 21st century facility should start now, he said after a meeting with Christos Nicolaou, executive director of Limassol and Paphos hospitals and director of the Paphos hospital Spyros Georgiou.

“We just have to support this effort because at the end of the day an upgraded and quality Paphos hospital will result in better and higher level services to residents,” the mayor said.

He explained in recent years and during the coronavirus pandemic, various problems regarding the hospital emerged but the will to solve them exists.

Phaedonas reported the participants of the meeting found common areas in which they can participate to support the work of the hospital, which he called “the backbone, the main pillar of health services in the town and the district of Paphos”.

Nicolaou said he was satisfied with the exchange of ideas.

“Today we are establishing a network of contacts which we will continue to use in the future on the issue of the Paphos hospital and its future promotion to a health centre of the district,” he added.

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MORE HOMES FOR RODENT-CHOMPING BARN OWLS INSTALLED

Cyprus Mail 16 July 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis with the nest boxes for barn owls (CNA)

The installation of an additional 30 nest boxes for barn owls in Choirokitia is an important step in the biological control of rodents, agriculture minister Costas Kadis said on Thursday.

He described the boxes for the owls (Tyto alba) as part of a very important islandwide initiative to keep down the rodent population by natural rather chemical means.

“Our pilot efforts in various parts of Cyprus have already been crowned with significant success,” he said.

“There are areas which have suffered from rodents and today no more pesticide is used to treat them. Only this environmentally friendly approach is used under the new policies which respect the environment and human health.”

The government has the support of the Game Fund, the forestry department, the agriculture department as well as scientists from Cyprus and abroad for this project, Kadis said.

“It is very important that scientists from Israel, leading world-class scientists who have managed to rid Israel of rat poison with their help, are also involved in the effort, and only this method is used there to deal with rodents.”

The contribution of NGOs and organised groups such as BirdLife and the Larnaca branch of the hunting association which has provided the nest boxes installed on Thursday is also particularly significant, he said.

“To date, around 300 boxes have been installed, in the near future we will install another 100 and we believe that it is a project which has only positive aspects.”

A national action plan for the use of barn owns as a means of rodent control was recently approved and this is now being implemented, Kadis said. A budget has already been included to expand the network of nests for this and next year.

The project started with the installation of nests along the Green Line and is currently being expanded to various rural areas.

Barn owl nest boxes have been placed in Strakka, Kampi, Tamassos, Troulloi, Atsas and Agros areas, working together with committed farmers who want to combat the problem of rodents in a sustainable and nature-friendly manner, according to BirdLife Cyprus.

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is a nocturnal bird of prey which hunts and eats up to 1000 rodents per year.

The birds require large areas over which to hunt. For nesting, they prefer quiet cavities, either in trees or man-made cavities such as barns, hence their name.

In Cyprus they are known as ‘anthropopoulia’ which translates into ‘man birds’, so-called because with their long legs and round face they are sometimes mistaken for human beings in the dark.

The nest boxes being installed

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