Paphos Life

Hi, all ,received a call this evening from the ministry of health regarding an appointment for the coronavirus test on Sunday at the former District House in Paphos . Has anybody else received the call your am I the lucky ,or unlucky one???
Lefkes.

The Health Ministry in cooperation with Paphos Municipality is to conduct mass-scale random testing of residents in an effort to locate people who have contracted COVID-19.

Paphos has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases on the island at nearly 40%.

Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos said the molecular tests are to start on Saturday after the Cyprus Health Insurance Organisation prepares a list of a 1000 to people to be targeted.

People will be selected by an automated system which will randomly choose a number of citizens, covering all age groups, gender and areas of the district.

Citizens who are to be tested will be called to pass by the drive-through testing facilities to be set up in Paphos.

https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/04 ... -clusters/

I would imagine that the Paphos testing results will be added to the Worldometer figures which are supposed to be a fairly accurate daily record of the current situation, if they are accurate then the UK has an appalling Recovered figure compared to the rest of the world

Worldometer Chart

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

lefkes wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 9:56 pm Hi, all ,received a call this evening from the ministry of health regarding an appointment for the coronavirus test on Sunday at the former District House in Paphos . Has anybody else received the call your am I the lucky ,or unlucky one???
Lefkes.

The son of a person on our Paphos Chat facebook group has also received a call, so you are indeed one of the lucky 1000.

lefkes wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 9:56 pm Hi, all ,received a call this evening from the ministry of health regarding an appointment for the coronavirus test on Sunday at the former District House in Paphos . Has anybody else received the call your am I the lucky ,or unlucky one???
Lefkes.

Not sure whether I´d call myself lucky. From what I heard taking the swab is quite uncomfortable - especially if done through the nose. Or are they screening for antibodies in which case they´d only need to draw some blood?

The Community Council of Neo Chorio have put out a general message stating that they will subsidise by 50% the cost of a test for any of its residents. The cost being €110.

jeba wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:24 pm

lefkes wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 9:56 pm Hi, all ,received a call this evening from the ministry of health regarding an appointment for the coronavirus test on Sunday at the former District House in Paphos . Has anybody else received the call your am I the lucky ,or unlucky one???
Lefkes.

Not sure whether I´d call myself lucky. From what I heard taking the swab is quite uncomfortable - especially if done through the nose. Or are they screening for antibodies in which case they´d only need to draw some blood?

I read that the uncomfortable test through the nose is being tested at the moment in Belgium, because that test gives immediate results.

The son of a person on our Paphos Chat facebook group has also received a call, so you are indeed one of the lucky 1000.
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I agree !

The type of testing being use was listed in the Cyprus Mail .

“At the initiative of the municipality of Paphos and the ministry of health, following processes and consultations carried out yesterday and today, it was decided to allocate the required amount for 1,000 tests to detect possible cases of coronavirus in Paphos,” the municipality announced on Thursday.

The screening performed on these 1,000 individuals will be two fold, they noted: a) RNA testing to detect active cases and b) antibody screening to identify people who have been ill and are now negative with antibodies.

If I was given the option of a test to see if I had it or had already had it, I would jump at the chance.

Dominic wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:21 pm If I was given the option of a test to see if I had it or had already had it, I would jump at the chance.

Me too !

Dominic wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:21 pm If I was given the option of a test to see if I had it or had already had it, I would jump at the chance.

The PCR test from a nasopharyngeal swab may only be positive for the first week or so. Thereafter, the virus may descend into your lungs without remaining in the nasopharyngeal region. You´d have to test from a pulmonal swab which I doubt a healthy person wants to have done.

Austin 7
How do you know that you have not got it ? And how do you know you have not had it ? - Some people are carriers with no symptom's whatsoever
Hence the reason for the testing.

As with any diagnostic test, the results are only pertinent at the time of testing but give a good indication, along with other associated factors taken into consideration, of the likelihood of having been exposed and this provides a baseline for follow up tests or treatment as necessary.

However, even if I had displayed no symptoms, had followed the guidelines for my personal protection and had no close contact with other people for at least 5-7 days, I would still have the test.

galexinda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 5:51 pm As with any diagnostic test, the results are only pertinent at the time of testing but give a good indication, along with other associated factors taken into consideration, of the likelihood of having been exposed and this provides a baseline for follow up tests or treatment as necessary.

However, even if I had displayed no symptoms, had followed the guidelines for my personal protection and had no close contact with other people for at least 5-7 days, I would still have the test.

For the antibody test that makes sense. For the nasopharyngeal swab test less so unless you have symptoms. It will only be positive 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and may well become negative as of day 7 even though you may be infected and even have severe symptoms (because you may no longer have virus in your nasopharynx but in your lungs by then).

I would have the antibody test, definitely. At least you know if you've had it and assuming if you have, you would have built up some resistance to it for the future.
Me and my other half are pretty certain we've had it, or some form of it, as we both came down with something and are still suffering some 3 weeks down the line. We've had the sharp razor like sore throat and a high temperature, we've developed coughs but not all the time and unfortunately, it seems to be some kind of repeating cycle. I had to resort to buying prednisolone steroids while we were away as my asthma inhalers weren't really getting any kind of handle on stopping with the tightness although I didn't have the same asthmatic wheeziness which I would generally suffer with.
So yep, give me the antibody test..... but anything that involves sticking long sticks up my nose or down my throat, hmmmm - that's a definite NO. I gag just swallowing a normal round paracetamol tablet. I can just about manage capsules.

Austin 7. I am right with you Boyo. X

However, I believe the antibody test is a whole other ball game. . . . .And, for those who have suspicions they may have it, or have had it . . . . .is a bit of a game changer.

Maggie B