Month: August 2021

Twelve per cent of the doses of vaccines against COVID-19 which the Republic of Cyprus has received has been handed over to the Turkish Cypriot community via the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health.

As the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) has learnt from reliable sources, out of a total of 1,447,235 doses, 170,842 were given by August 13, 2021, to the Turkish Cypriot community, for the vaccination of Turkish Cypriots living in the Turkish occupied areas of the island, while 1,276,393 (88%) were kept for vaccination of residents in the government – controlled area of the Republic.

Moreover, following a decision taken by the Council of Ministers, on August 12, 60 Turkish Cypriot university students were vaccinated at the State Fair vaccination centre, in Nicosia, with the first dose of the vaccine and 31 Turkish Cypriot university students with the second dose.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A third dose of the COVID vaccines for the elderly and the vulnerable groups is the only way forward, Professor of Microbiology/Molecular Virology at the University of Nicosia Medical School, Petros Karayiannis told the Cyprus News Agency, on Wednesday.

Karayiannis, who is member of the scientific committee on the pandemic, said that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) might take weeks to reach a final decision on the issue and therefore we need to act before we have a new outbreak in the Autumn.

He explained that the scientific committee has made recommendations to the Health Ministry for the third dose and what is now needed is for a political decision to be taken.

Karayiannis also said that based on data from the UK and Israel, the third dose is necessary. He said that the Israeli authorities have administered more than a million doses to adults over 40 and the immunisation of people getting the third dose is increased rapidly and sometimes offering four times more protection to these groups that to those those who were inoculated with only 2 doses. In addition it protects six times more from hospitalisation.

Dr Karayiannis was asked about the decision taken by the Cyprus University of Technology to permit only vaccinated students or those who have already been infected with COVID to be present in classes. He said that he would rather not make a statement and that he prefers to wait for all the universities to decide on the matter.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Minister of Health Michalis Hadjipantelas reassured on Wednesday university students that a decision expected to be taken by the Council of Ministers regarding the return of students with physical presence to universities, will aim to safeguard the health of all students.

Students protested outside the Ministry of Health on Wednesday demanding that PCR tests and antigen rapid tests be allowed – in addition to the vaccination certificate or the coronavirus recovery certificate- in order to ensure the physical presence of more students in the classrooms. In addition, they insisted on the state subsidising the tests.

Minister of Health Michalis Hadjipantelas, who spoke with students` representatives, said that the students` positions will be taken into consideration, noting that the goal remains the physical presence of all students in the classrooms as well as the protection of their health.

He said that lately the epidemiological picture in Cyprus has improved and pointed out that the government decided to delay its decision on the matter for some more days to review whether this good epidemiological picture would allow the return to universities with the PCR and the rapid tests.

The demonstration took place in the light of Tuesday`s decision of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) that lectures will take place with the physical presence of academic staff and students provided that they have a vaccination certificate for COVID 19 with at least one dose and that three weeks have passed since the date of vaccination, or a certificate of recovery from COVID 19 valid for six months from the date of the initial diagnosis or a medical certificate proving that the person cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Rector of the Cyprus University of Technology Panayiotis Zafiris told CNA that the University`s decision does not discriminate against different students, adding that the decision was deemed necessary since students have a high number of contacts.

Asked if the government can change the CUT`s decision, the Minister of Health clarified that the university is an autonomous organisation and the government can not interfere.

Meanwhile, the University of Cyprus reaffirmed on Wednesday in a press release its decision taken on the 7th of July based on which lectures during the winter semester 2021-2022 will take place with physical presence and with the presentation of the European digital certificate COVID “Safe Pass”. It adds that the decision took into account the epidemiological picture and the scientific views of academics specialising in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday 257 new coronavirus cases in Cyprus, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic broke out to 112,278. The positivity rate stands at 0.65%. No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported.

In addition, 181 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals, 75 of whom in a serious condition. It is noted that 86.19% of those hospitalised are not vaccinated.

There are also 14 post-COVID patients who remain intubated in ICUs.

No deaths were reported on Wednesday, with the number of deaths remaining at 486 (313 men and 173 women). The median age of the deceased is 77.

Out of the 75 patients who are in a critical condition 37 are intubated. In the Famagusta General Hospital there are 38 patients, 24 are in the Nicosia General Hospital, 50 are being treated in the Limassol General Hospital, 11 in the Larnaka General Hospital, 12 in the Pafos General Hospital and 5 are in the Makario Hospital in Nicosia.

The new cases were diagnosed after 39,578 tests done with the PCR method (5,536) and the rest with the antigen rapid test method.

The 257 infections were found as follows: 38 from contact tracing, 4 from samples taken at airports, 33 from tests done after private initiative, 7 from samples taken at the Microbiology Laboratories of the General Hospitals, 113 from antigen rapid tests done in private laboratories or pharmacies, and 62 from antigen rapid tests done through the Ministry of Health`s programme. Meanwhile, no cases were found from 86 samples taken after GP referrals and 8 samples taken in closed structures.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Two more COVID-19 patients have died, while 355 new coronavirus cases were traced on Tuesday, Cyprus Health Ministry announced on Tuesday. The positivity rate stands at 0.68%.

The two persons who have died are a 77 year old man who passed away on August 23 at Nicosia General Hospital and a 37 year old man who passed away on Tuesday also at Nicosia General Hospital.

The number of people who have died due to COVID-19 is now 486 and the number of confirmed cases 112,021.

A total of 184 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, 72 of them in a critical condition, while 84.79% of the patients who are treated in hospital have not been vaccinated. Thirty five of the patients whose condition is critical are intubated, 7 are treated in an Intensive Treatment Unit but are not intubated and 30 in an Increased Care Unit.

Moreover 14 pos

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Central Bank of Cyprus published on Tuesday the Bank Lending Survey (BLS) for the first quarter of 2021 in which it is stated that the banks participating in the survey expect stricter lending criteria for households, unchanged criteria for lending to businesses and an increase in the demand for loans in all categories for the second quarter of 2021

The Central Bank of Cyprus says that the unpredictable outbreak of the pandemic in early 2021 seems to have significantly affected the demand for loans, both from households and businesses, overturning estimates for the first quarter of 2021, where during the January 2021 survey, banks expected an increase in demand in all categories of loans.

It says that the increase in coronavirus cases at the end of 2020 and the strengthening of restrictive measures led to a decrease in demand for borrowing from both hou

Source: Cyprus News Agency

EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has adopted recommendations that will increase manufacturing capacity and supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU.

CHMP has approved an additional manufacturing site for the production of Comirnaty, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. The site, located in Saint Rémy sur Avre, France, is operated by Delpharm and will manufacture finished product.

Source: Cyprus News Agency