Cyprus will be faced with a third wave of the virus in 2021 unless people abide by the measures, a member of the government’s epidemiological team said on Saturday.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Petros Karayiannis the professor of microbiology, molecular virology at the University of Nicosia medical school said that unless daily coronavirus cases are reduced in half by the middle of December, there is the possibility of a stronger third wave in January.
His statements came the day after Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced stricter measures to contain the virus, imposing a 9pm islandwide curfew and a 7pm closure for restaurants, cafés and bars. The measures aim to limit contacts, according to the minister.
Karayiannis said the measures might be stressful for people, but they serve a purpose.
“We must all realise that measures cannot be relaxed from one day to the other. Otherwise, around the third week of January we will have a third wave or further surge in case numbers that will be higher than what we are experiencing now,” he said.
For measures to be relaxed before Christmas, the epidemiologist said that daily cases must drop to 100 or 150 and that the next 15 days are crucial.
Currently, the epidemiological situation is “not the best” as the daily tally fluctuates up to around 300, Karayiannis said. For cases to drop, we must all observe the measures faithfully, he added.
Expressing some hope, Karayiannis said that there are some indications that cases have been stabilised.
“At least in Limassol, where there was a peak of cases, there is an indication that numbers are going down. From there on, it will depend on what will happen in other districts,” he said.
Testing of the general public also helps contain the spread. Cyprus recently started offering free antigen rapid tests at various points for those wishing to get tested. Those who test positive must self-isolate and confirm their results with a PCR test.
“In this way, perhaps we might avoid a third outbreak, which everyone fears in Europe,” Karayiannis said.
He reiterated that blanket lockdown is the last resort for Cyprus.
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/11/28/coronavirus-expert-warns-of-third-wave/
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