Children hit by surge in COVID-19 cases across Cyprus

COVID-19 infections amongst children have surged over the past fortnight in Cyprus, with paediatricians reporting a sharp uptick in cases, though no hospital admissions have been recorded yet.

Michalis Anastasiades, president of the Cyprus Paediatric Society, said transmission appeared to have increased significantly in recent days.

“Over the last few days we’re seeing increased COVID-19 cases in children. Fortunately, we don’t currently have admissions to paediatric wards, but transmission clearly exists, so we all need to follow protective measures because it’s very easy for the virus to pass from one person to another,” Anastasiades told Phileleftheros.

The rise mirrors observations from adult GPs, who have also reported increased coronavirus activity in the community.

Charalambos Charilaou, spokesman for the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), confirmed heightened transmission in the community, though new hospital admissions have not yet risen.

“Fortunately, for now, although we continuously have people with coronavirus in hospital, we haven’t seen an increase in new admissions. However, we may see that in the coming period,” Charilaou said.

Regarding influenza, Anastasiades said cases were present but paediatricians had not yet observed a significant increase. The same applied to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which typically appears during seasonal infections.

Concern centres on the new influenza K subvariant, which has spread to other countries and appears to cause more severe symptoms. Anastasiades said its circulation in Cyprus should be considered inevitable, if it has not already arrived.

He added that monitoring the impact of monoclonal antibody treatment for RSV on hospitalisation rates would be important this year.

Charilaou noted that whilst some flu and RSV cases had been recorded, the typical outbreak that usually comes after mid-December had not yet materialised.

Both experts emphasised that vaccination remains the primary protection against severe symptoms and hospitalisation, though vaccinated people can still contract viruses and develop symptoms.

They stressed that children with symptoms should stay home from school to prevent transmission and called for particular care in protecting elderly people and vulnerable groups who face greater risks of serious illness, hospitalisation and death.