Cyprus is firmly in the first places in the test among the 27 member states of the European Union. According to recent data of the European Center for Infection Control and Prevention (ECDC - Week 4), Cyprus is ranked in 2η position in relation to conducting examinations (PCR and rapid test) per 100,000 inhabitants for the 14 days preceding 31th January 2021. The increased number of tests performed since the beginning of the pandemic has been a central pillar of the pandemic management strategy, aiming at continuous epidemiological surveillance in the community.
Already from the first pandemic wave until today, the Ministry of Health has invested, in addition to control of the general population, in the execution targeted examinations, among others, in nursing homes, immigrant structures, other closed structures, professional sectors, but also the control of specific areas where large outbreaks of cases were located, such as Paphos and Aradippou. Overall, since the beginning of the pandemic in Cyprus, more than 1,5 million tests were performed. That allowed him early detection of 31,379 cases and immediate activation of the tracking process, by limiting and investigating contacts of positive incidents.
Currently and in the framework of the strategy for the gradual lifting of restrictive measures, the Ministry of Health strengthens the pillar of increased controls by utilizing the method of rapid antigen tests, aiming at the examination of employees who are reactivated in each phase of the strategy, as well as staff in companies / sectors already working, proportionally and on a weekly basis. With the continuous and cyclical control of the employees, it is possible for timely detection of positive cases between employees and reduce the chances of a series of cases in the workplace and their safe and uninterrupted operation.
According to the World Health Organization and the ECDC, increased testing, in combination with the respective measures in force, contribute to monitoring the epidemiological situation in the country and, therefore, in making decisions to lift restrictions and restart society and the economy.
