Cyprus records COVID-19 daily high as Delta variant surges

NICOSIA, July 13 (Reuters) – Cyprus on Tuesday reported a record-high number of new COVID-19 infections, health ministry data showed, with the number of positive cases surging past 1,000.

Tuesday’s figure of 1,081 cases was the highest single-day count since the eastern Mediterranean island recorded its first cases of coronavirus in March 2020.

Two people died of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths to 382, the health ministry said.

After a lull from May to mid-June, positive cases began to climb rapidly, attributed to the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.

Cyprus introduced widespread and free rapid testing in December, with daily tests frequently exceeding 60,000.Reporting by Michele Kambas Editing by Mark Heinrich