Case management COVID-19 and their close contacts
1. Positive incident management:
Upon announcement of a positive result after rapid antigen test or PCR test (molecular test), the virus positive person must:
- immediately restricted,
- inform the Doctor's Staff,
- inform his close contacts, employer, school, camp, etc, and
- expects a phone call from the Ministry of Health.
Means that no other sampling point should be visited fast test to repeat the test, as there is a risk of spreading the virus to other attendees. Note that the results from the sampling points of the rapid tests are communicated to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit after the completion of the tests and the communication from the Tracing Team becomes as soon as possible.
The person who has a positive result takes smswith the Self-isolation guidelines for confirmed COVID19.pdf cases (pio.gov.cy) on the mobile phone he stated during his examination within 24 hours with the necessary condition to have been declared to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health. The HIV-positive person should follow the self-isolation instructions he or she receives.
In the instructions he receives there is also relevant table who can declare his close contacts and send them by email to contacttracing@moh.gov.cy. The close contacts receive instructions and their sampling is scheduled, after being declared by the positive case.
The Personal Physician is responsible for monitoring the health of his patients / beneficiaries and the release of confirmed cases, in accordance with release protocol and not earlier than 14 days from the diagnosis or the onset of symptoms. Individuals who do not have a Personal Physician are released by the release team of the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit. Upon their release, all cases receive a text message indicating the day of release and can be used as Safe Pass. Along with their release (14 days after the positive result), people who were positive for the coronavirus can issue a European Digital Recovery Certificate to travel within the European Union through the portal https://www.eudcc.gov.cy/.
Sick leave is given by the Personal Physician.
When the positive case is contacted by the Tracking Team, information will be requested that will be used confidentially solely to identify the source of infection of the positive case, locate its contacts and understand the virus.
For general information the positive cases can call 1474, while for a report of worsening symptoms, medical assessment, need for transfer to a hospital can call 1420.
For issues related to the tracking process, contact us by phone at 22771923 or electronically at contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy.
For release issues positive cases can contact the Release Team at covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy.
If a person has been diagnosed positive for coronavirus and has not received a written instruction message within 24 hours they should contact the laboratory or the individual who performed the test and make sure that the positive case has been reported and that the contact details kept by the coronavirus lab are the right ones (eg wrong phone number).
It is understood that if the positive results are not declared by the laboratory or the person who performed the examination at the Ministry of Health, the positive incident will not be able to receive the required instructions, to monitor the course of his health, to declare his contacts, but also to receive all the supporting documents he is entitled to upon his release (eg SafePass, EU Digital Covid Certificate).
Cases with a positive coronavirus test, who have completed their vaccination, follow the procedure normally and are not exempt from self-restriction.
2. Close case contact management:
Close contacts are defined by specific criteria according to the following:
- A person living with a confirmed case,
- A person who has had direct physical contact with a confirmed case (eg handshake),
- A person who has had unprotected contact with confirmed infectious secretions (eg saliva),
- A person who had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case less than 2 meters away and lasting more than 15 minutes,
- Person found indoors (eg classroom, cinema, hospital waiting areas, etc. with a confirmed case for more than 15 minutes and at a distance of less than 2 meters,
- A health professional or other person providing health care in a case COVID-19, or laboratory personnel handling a confirmed case sample without using the appropriate protective equipment or if there is a breach in its integrity, and
- Flight attendant, traveling together or caring for the patient, crew members serving the patient's seating area , if due to the presence of serious symptoms of the patient and movements of the patient in the aircraft entails more extensive exposure).
Upon being informed of the positive incident, the case is asked to state the contacts it had two days before the onset of symptoms or two days before the test (in case of asymptomatic cases). This data is collected and managed in accordance with the principles of confidentiality and is used only for the purpose of tracking and ensuring public health after the approval of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
Close contacts are submitted for free molecular test (PCRtest) after an appointment by the Public Health Clinics which is scheduled as soon as possible and at the same time receive instructions via text message for self-restraint. Close contacts are set to mandatory self-limitation for 14 days from their last contact with the case (contact day is defined as day zero).
Close contacts can be released earlier ONLY with negative PCR on 7η day from any approved laboratory at its own expense.
The release on 7η day with negative PCR only applies to close contacts and not to positive cases.
If close contacts are not isolated from the positive case (eg mothers with children, or dependents with their caregivers), then the day of onset of isolation is extended according to the day of release of the positive case, after last day before release the positive person is potentially contagious.
Close contacts are not released by their Personal Doctor, but voluntarily at the end of the day described above. Individuals who have been declared as close contacts are entitled special permit certificate for Public Health reasons who can submit it to their work and be reimbursed by the Department of Social Security through an application. In order to receive this certificate one must necessarily have been declared by the confirmed case.
Employers or health and safety officers or local infection committees or local infection committees are responsible for tracking down and reporting close contacts within workplaces, nursing homes, military bases, military bases and detention centers for migrants and refugees. relevant table with the contacts of the cases in the Tracing Team of the Ministry of Health at contacttracing@moh.com.cy .
Means that close contacts are not allowed to visit rapid test sampling points, as there is a risk of the virus spreading to other attendees and they will have to wait for information from the Public Health Clinics to schedule an appointment.
Any citizen develop symptoms compatible with the disease Covid19 (Cough, Fever, Dyspnoea, Sudden onset of immunity, taste or tastelessness, headache, myalgias, chills, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea) should contact the Physician's Staff for assessment and scheduling PCR (molecular examination) through an electronic platform in Public Health Clinics if deemed necessary.
Exception of self-restraint as close contacts are persons who:
- have been diagnosed as positive cases by PCR or rapid antigen test within 180 days, either
- have completed their vaccination schedule with any vaccine recognized by the Republic of Cyprus. It is understood that for single dose vaccines a period of 14 days must elapse after the dose.
However, all close contacts (including those excluding self-restraint) should be reported from the case via the appropriate route to schedule their sampling by the Public Health Clinic Coordination.
Citizens can contact 1474 for general information about COVID-19, or for issues related to the tracking process by phone at 22771923 or electronically at contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy.
The obligations of employers are in the current protocol https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/erg20.pdf and can contact the health services of the Ministry of Health for clarifications.
For infringement complaints cases or close contacts, citizens can call 1460, 22606803, 22606789.
More information on Ordinances and Protocols can be found at www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/.
The Cyprus Police supervises all of the above.