Dr. Koliou: Which provinces escape the "hard" index of the pandemic

The Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, dr. Maria Koliou.

According to Dr. Kolio, the reduction of cases is not due to the new measures but to the previous ones that were announced. "We hope that with the latest measures added we will have a better epidemiological picture. The cases are not less due to the smaller number of samples because we are talking about their positivity. There was a time when we had 100 positives in every 6 samples, while now in Nicosia we have one. In Paphos and Famagusta we also have a good picture. "The two provinces that are still missing are Limassol and Larnaca, and there should be more attention in order to stabilize the results," he explained.

Dr. Koliou noted that the Intensive Care Units are at a border point. "This is another indicator with which we assess the pandemic. It is the so-called "hard" indicator of the pandemic, which shows the severity of the pandemic, ie deaths. "Those patients who are in the ICU are more likely to lose their lives and it is something we want to prevent."

"Vaccinations in Cyprus are in a very good place and giving priority to the elderly is in the right direction and is a practice that has been used in many countries. "With the new doses, more and more people will be vaccinated in a targeted manner," he added.

Finally commenting on the criticisms concerning the fact that the epidemiological team had to make the decision for lockdown earlier, Dr. Koliou said that "it is wrong for some to think that it should have been done earlier because we would still be closed from then on. It happens at a time when it was no longer going well with the health system. "We have a big gun at our disposal right now and that is the vaccine."