Coronavirus: 298 cases announced on Saturday (Update)

The health ministry on Saturday announced 298 new coronavirus cases.

The new cases were among 45,369 tests, with a positivity rate of 0.66 per cent.

A rise in hospitalisations has been recorded, 126, compared to 111 on Friday. Twenty-five patients are in serious condition, 11 of whom intubated.

The new cases concern 44 found positive through contact tracing, and 24 among people who got tested privately.

Nine cases were among tests carried out among arrivals at the Larnaca and Paphos airports, 15 cases were among samples processed at state hospitals’ labs, and five cases were people who got rapid tests in private labs.

Another 201 cases were among 41,784 rapid tests carried out on behalf of the health ministry in all districts.

More than half of these cases, 131, were recorded in the Limassol district with a positivity rate of 1.08 per cent. In Nicosia, 29 cases (0.18 per cent) were recorded, 19 in Larnaca (0.31 per cent), 13 in Paphos (0.38per cent), and seven (0.38per cent) in the Famagusta district. Two cases were detected in the education sector.

This brings the total number of cases to 36,575.