The national report and the relevant presentations with the statistical data of the epidemic in Cyprus until March 2, as well as the analysis of deaths that includes the data for the whole month of February until March 4, were published by the Ministry of Health.
Regarding the national report, the following are noted:
- The weekly positivity rate increases. More specifically from the program of rapid tests of the Ministry of Health, it appears that the percentage of positivity recorded an increase last week and is now at 0.4% from 0.2% last week. In Limassol the percentage increased from 0.5% to 0.8%.
- The number of reproductions is estimated at 1.59 (1.51-1.67).
- Across Cyprus, the cumulative impact of 14 days is much higher at 263.5 / 100,000 inhabitants compared to 168.7 / 100,000 last week. Individually, the cumulative impact in Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca and Paphos remains below the 150 / 100,000 threshold set by the ECDC, however there is an increase compared to the previous week. Analytically, in Nicosia the cumulative effect is 134.5 / 100,000 (from 81.4 / 100,000), in Larnaca 91.9 / 100,000 (from 65.8 / 100,000), in Famagusta 61.3 / 100,000 (from 36.8 / 100,000), in Paphos 77.6 / 100,000 (from 34.6 / 100,000).
- In Limassol the morbidity burden is very high, with the cumulative impact of 14 days exceeding the limit of 500 / 100,000 and reaching 641.2 / 100,000. According to the ECDC classification, areas with a cumulative impact of 14 days greater than 500 / 100,000 are classified in deep red.
- 68% of the cases were in the District of Limassol (1,592 out of a total of 2,340 cases).
- The cumulative effect of 14 days has increased significantly in people under 19, which is mainly due to the influx in schools, but also to the productive ages of 20-60 years. In those over 60, the cumulative effect is milder.
- In hospitals, the situation remains manageable for the time being. The daily numbers of admissions and patients are around 8 and 79 respectively (7-day moving averages) respectively. As shown in the following diagram, the large volume of new admissions (7-day moving average) remains from Limassol, with 72% of patients referred to the Limassol District (67 cases).
- In relation to the ages of people admitted for hospitalization, as shown in the diagram below, there is currently no increase in older people, who are likely to end up.
- From the above analysis it is concluded that there is a dispersion in the community focusing on Limassol, with some phenomena of over-transmission in schools. The epidemiological picture is extremely dynamic and easily reversible. At present the situation remains manageable in hospitals. In combination with the evolution of vaccinations, vigilance and attention are needed so that the Health System remains in a controlled state, without an increase in serious hospitalizations. Adherence to individual protection measures is extremely important especially at this time when the country is attempting to restart.
As of March 2, 2021, 34,776 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the Republic of Cyprus, with 232 deaths due to COVID-19 (COVID-19 mortality: 0.7%).
• The cumulative incidence of 14 days of COVID-19 (diagnosed cases of 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants) is 263.5.
• In the last 14 days (February 17 – March 02) 2,340 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded:
The median age of COVID-19 cases was 36 years (Intra-quadrant range: 22-51 years), 50.6% in women (n = 1,183) and 49.3% in men (n = 1,154). Based on the epidemiological history, 0.9% (n = 22) were cases with a recent travel history, while 99.1% (n = 2,318) were cases of domestic transmission.
• On March 4, 2021, 93 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized (based on registered data). Their median age was 63 years (Intra-quadrant range: 54 – 75 years), with 59.1% (n = 55) involving men and 72% (n = 67) cases from the province of Limassol.
• According to the registered data, 13 people were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – 10 were intubated. The median age of COVID-19 patients in ICU was 63 years (Intra-quadrant range: 60-73 years), while 9 cases (69.2%) involved men. A total of 12 people (92.3%) in ICU had underlying diseases.
In the last 14 days, 34,457 molecular tests (PCR) (3,880.3 per 100,000 population) and 446,286 antigen rapid tests (50,257.4 per 100,000 population) have been performed.
Epidemiological data are subject to change due to rapidly evolving
situation
The analyzes are based on laboratory confirmed cases that are notified to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health.
As of March 2, 2021, 34,776 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the laboratory (Graphs 1, 2 and 3).
In the last 14 days (February 17 – March 2) 2,340 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the laboratory. The cumulative incidence of 14 days of COVID-19 (diagnosed cases of 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants) 1, an indicator that reflects the percentage of active COVID-19 cases in the population (prevalence of active disease) 2, is 263.5 per 100,000 inhabitants
Characteristics of confirmed COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the last 14 days
Among 2,340 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed as of February 17, 2021, 50.6% involve women (n = 1,183) and 49.3% men (n = 1,154) and three cases (0.1%) ) the information was not available.
By age groups: 519 infants, children and adolescents 0-19 years (22.2%), 1,480 adults aged 20-59 years (63.2%), 340 people aged 60 years and over (14.5%), while for a person his age is not currently available. Graph 4 shows the distribution of COVID-19 cases by age group and sex. The median age of all COVID-19 cases of the last 14 days is 36 years (Intra-quadratic range 22-51 years). The median age of adults (≥ 18 years) with COVID-19 is 41 years (Intra-quadratic range 30-55 years).
Among the cases diagnosed in the last 14 days, 1,592 (68%) had a place of residence in the province of Limassol, 466 (19.9%) in the province of Nicosia, 137 (5.9%) in the province of Larnaca, 74 (3.2%) ) in the province of Paphos, 30 (1.3%) in the province of free Famagusta and 41 cases (1.8%) concern the British bases or residence in the area or there was no information available for them (Table A1). Graph A2 in the appendix shows the distribution of incidents by province.
Clinical Characteristics
In the last 14 days (February 17 – March 2), 33.9% (n = 793) did not report any symptoms at diagnosis, while 66.1% (n = 1,547) reported at least one symptom.
Underlying diseases
In the last 14 days (February 17 – March 2, 2021), 555 people with COVID-19 (23.7%) reported at least one underlying disease.
Based on the recorded data, among the people diagnosed with COVID-19, 232 deaths were recorded until March 4, 2021, with the underlying cause being COVID-19 disease (COVID-19 mortality: 0.7%). The COVID-19 mortality per 100,000 population is 26.1. There were 155 deaths (66.8%) in men and 77 (33.2%) in women. The median age of people with COVID-19 who lost their lives due to this disease was 81 years (Intra-Quarter range: 73-87 years). 79 (34.1%) deaths were reported in the province of Nicosia, 69 (29.7%) in the province of Limassol, 42 (18.1%) in the province of Larnaca, 18 (7.8%) in the province of Paphos, 15 (6, 5%) in the province of free Famagusta and 9 deaths (3.9%) related to the British bases or residence in change or there was no information available for them.
The median time from the date of sampling to the date of death from COVID-19 was 13 days (Intra-quadratic range: 7-20 days).
Graph (Graph 5a) shows the number of deaths per day with underlying cause of COVID-19 disease.
Based on the registered data, among the people diagnosed with COVID-19, 283 deaths from each cause were declared, as of March 4, 2021 (mortality from each cause on the diagnosed cases of COVID-19: 0.8%). Mortality (deaths from any cause in people with COVID-19 per 100,000 population) is 31.9. There were 193 deaths in men (68.2%) and in women 90 (31.8%). The median age of people with COVID-19 who lost their lives was 81 years (Intra-Quarter range: 73-87 years). 90 (31.8%) deaths were reported in the province of Nicosia, 88 (31.1%) in the province of Limassol, 52 (18.4%) in the province of Larnaca, 24 (8.5%) in the province of Paphos, 17 (6, 1%) in the province of free Famagusta and 11 deaths (3.9%) concern British bases or resettlement or no information was available. The median time from the date of sampling to the date of death from each cause in individuals with COVID-19 was 12 days (Intra-quadratic range: 6-20 days).
Admissions to Hospitals and Intensive Care Units (ICU)
By March 4, 2021, a total of 5.2% (n = 1,794) of COVID-19 cases were hospitalized. The median age of the treated patients is 65 years (Intra-quadrant range: 52-77 years). Hospital care was mainly for men (n = 1,043, 58.1%).
The median age of people still hospitalized (until March 4, 2021) (n = 93) is 63 years (Intra-quadrant range: 54-75 years) and 59.1% (n = 55) are men. 72% (n = 67) concern patients from the province of Limassol, while 68 people (73.1%) reported underlying diseases.
The following graph (Graph 6a) shows the number of admissions (first admission) to hospitals per day.
Graph 6a: Number of admissions (first admission) to hospitals per day and 7-day moving average (on March 4, 2021, the moving average is shown in the figure).
* The hospital admission date for patients treated prior to the onset of the epidemic has been replaced by the sampling date.
A total of 185 patients (10.3% of the total number of patients) were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU4). The median age of patients admitted to the ICU was 69 years (Intra-quadrant range: 62-76 years). The patients in the ICU were mainly men (n = 126, 68.1%). The median length of stay in the ICU (for all patients admitted to the ICU) is 15 days (Intra-quadrant range: 8-27 days).
According to the registered data, on March 4, 2021, 13 patients were in the ICU. The median age of these patients was 63 years (endothelial range: 60-73 years). 69.2% (n = 9) of the cases concerned men, while 12 people (92.3%) who were in the ICU had underlying diseases.
The number of patients currently in the ICU, according to registered data, per 100,000 inhabitants, is 1.5.
Of the 185 patients admitted to the ICU, 173 (93.5%) were intubated and 10 are still intubated.
The following graph shows patients with COVID-19 in ICU (with or without intubation)
It is presented by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health
Contributors: Annalisa Quattrocchi, Ioannis Mamais, Valentinos Silvestros, Anna Dimitriou (Health Monitoring Unit), Maria Athanasiadou (Health Monitoring Unit), Theopisti Kyprianou, Soularios F. Ioanna Grigoriou, Maria Koliou, Olga Kalakouta, Georgios Nikolopoulos
Scientific Committee: Konstantinos Konstantinou, Niki Pafitou, Georgios Nikolopoulos, Maria Koliou, Georgios Panos, Irini Christaki, Zoi-Dorothea Pana, Konstantinos Tsioutis, Petros Karagiannis, Georgios Petrikkos, Petros Agathangelos,
Suggested citation: Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health, Cyprus. National Situation Report. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),
March 5, 2021.
