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“The war against COVID-19, Navigating in unchartered waters”
It is a distinct pleasure for
me to join you today in this special event that brings us together after a
long time of social distancing and strict measures due to COVID-19 pandemic.
I would like to take this opportunity and thank the Rotary Club of
Nicosia-Lefkothea for putting together this event, giving me the opportunity
to stand back and take stock of what Cyprus has achieved over the last six
months.
In these unpresented times, the
world faced an invisible ruthless enemy. We all stood united in a common goal
of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic limiting its devastating impact on global
health, economies and social order.
From the outset of the pandemic
Cyprus has closely followed recommendations from WHO and the ECDC. As of
mid-January, we received the first report from WHO and ECDC with initial
information about the epidemic outbreak in China. Although at the time this
was not considered a major threat and no-one could foresee that it would
develop into a pandemic, we re-activate the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit.
I specifically asked the members of the Unit to re-evaluate our action plan
from Embola and take stock at Personal Protective Equipment. In a weekly
basis, we had meetings to assess the situation and all the information from
the countries with active epidemic and, by identifying the obstacles that
caused difficulties in our strategy, we took the necessary actions to improve
the action plan. We acted proactively and this saved us time and resources.
At the same time, through
teleconferences, I established communication with the Director of the ECDC
and the EU Commissioner for Health, while I was in close contact with my
European counterparts. From the very beginning, ECDC evaluated the danger and
gave scaled guidelines on how the countries should act, based on factors such
as the number of cases, etc. Cyprus, early on, implemented those measures as
if there were recorded cases in the country.
Based on the 4-pillar strategy
of the ECDC, we adjusted our action plan and prepared for the worst-case
scenario. Firstly, we placed emphasis on educating the public on the new
coronavirus. We soon established a mechanism and explained to the public the
steps they should take when seeking medical advice. By opening helplines for
the public and through a communication campaign, we told people which are the
symptoms of the virus, who to contact if they have any of those symptoms, why
they should stay in self-quarantine after a trip, etc. Also, we sent
newsletters by email, through GeSY’s system.
At the same time, with the help
of the newly-established GeSY, we engaged
health professionals. We brought on board General
Practitioners and other health professionals, such as ICU doctors and nurses,
to educate them on how they should deal with patients. Information and
guidelines were distributed to doctors by email and health professionals in
public hospitals were trained to work in ICUs in case of emergency. Also, we
proceeded with the establishment of Public Health Clinics for assessment and
management of suspect cases of COVID-19, which helped health professionals
deal with their patients.
Also, as of February, we took
measures at our entry points monitoring passengers according to their country
of origin, based on the guidelines of WHO and ECDC. It’s worth-mentioning
that Cyprus was one of the countries that applied strict measures at the airports
earlier than necessary, long before WHO called SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic.
We realized early on that we
needed the advice of the experts, so in early March we called on doctors,
scientists and academics of various specialties and set up an Advisory Committee
that, together with the Epidemiological Unit, contributed in monitoring the
course of the pandemic worldwide and advise the Government on the next steps.
When the first two imported
cases of COVID-19 were identified on March 9th, as of today 1.038
total cases have been reported. Nearly 85% of these cases (approximately 850)
have recovered, 19 deaths have occurred due to COVID-19, while no patient was
hospitalized in the ICUs for over a month now (19 June).
We declared a state of
emergency on mid-March and allocated 100 million euros emergency fund for
strengthening of our healthcare system. At the same time, we imposed strict
lockdown measures that restricted the movement of people. People felt upset
because of those restrictions, which we expected to happen. We had to be
honest with them and we put great emphasis on explaining them, why we imposed
those measures and the reasons they should adhere. At this time, we shifted
our communication strategy, to explain citizens the reasons of the lockdown
and kept reminding them what they should do when they are in need of
healthcare services or how to practise personal hygiene measures.
Our policy from the very
beginning was to test early, contact trace and isolate the positive cases.
Cyprus has one of the highest uses of diagnostic testing with more than 20.00
per 100.000 people.
Great emphasis throughout this
period was also placed in the rapid identification of new cases through early testing and active contact
tracing, as recommended in ECDC’s 4-pillar strategy.
During lockdown, we engaged in an aggressive strategy of actively testing
large groups of the population. We engaged in random sampling and testing of
the population, but also the front-line workers and healthcare professionals
and vulnerable groups, through various programs, at the state’s expense,
having examined approximately 80 thousand citizens. Besides the contact
tracing process that still runs since the outbreak of the pandemic in Cyprus,
special groups of the population, such as patients prior their operation,
pregnant women, prisoners, migrants, etc, are being tested, in an effort to
eliminate the possibilities of spreading the virus within hospitals, prisons,
and other facilities, and also eradicate the virus from the community.
During the lockdown period and
when the epidemiological data were favourable, together with the Ministries
of Finance and Labor, we drew up the strategy for the gradual lifting of
restrictions. To prevent a new outbreak, ECDC and the European Commission
issued a general plan with guidelines on how to restart, inter alia,
economies, traveling and businesses. Based on that general strategy and the
epidemiological trends internally, each country could build its own national
policy to steadily exit the health crisis.
In this line, Cyprus continues
its successful policy of massive testing of the population. The progressive
opening of the areas of the economy and the targeted re-opening to travellers
from other countries helps us better monitor epidemiological indicators and adjust
our strategy if needed. We’d rather restart our economy in a slower pace than
take big steps and lose control of the situation.
Looking back, we are proud of
what we have achieved so far in containing the pandemic. We could certainly
do better in addressing specific issues, but we should always take into
consideration that no country globally had the means or the knowledge to deal
with the pandemic at its early stages.
Our success in dealing with
this pandemic was a result, first of all, of the strong political commitment
to take robust and proactive measures in line with WHO and ECDC guidance to
protect citizens from the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, we placed
great emphasis on continuous monitoring of Personal Protective Equipment and
controlling and procuring stock, equipment and necessary consumables and we
actively trained staff in the proper use of PPE.
We took measures to increase
the capacity of healthcare system through mobilising staff, decree of
requisition for health professionals from the private sector and cancelled
all elective surgical procedures and designation of one hospital, General
Hospital for COVID-19 patients. We created a new Intensive Care Unit in
Nicosia and we improved the infrastructure in the existing ones.
All these measures gave us time
to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Fortunately, the early tracing of the
cases and their isolation prevented the spread of the virus in the community,
and allowed our healthcare system to address the situation with the minimum
possible losses.
Distinguished friends,
We plan with a sense of guarded
optimism keeping in mind that COVID-19 is a new highly transmissible
infection in a population with low immunity. Some of the measures are still
in place and there will continue to be until the scientific community develop
a safe and effective vaccine. We eagerly wait for the outcomes of clinical
trials. We shall continue practising personal hygiene and protective
measures, as well as social distancing, to limit the possibility of spreading
the virus within the general population.
Dealing with the pandemic was a
war against an invisible enemy. All Governments around the world navigated in
unchartered waters, and Cyprus was not an exception. Under the leadership of
the President of the Republic, the Cabinet had to take difficult and painful
decisions. There was no successful action plan to base our policies on and,
therefore, we had to be flexible to adjust our strategy at all times.
It was clear to everyone in the
Government that we had to ensure our people’s health was protected at all
costs. What happened in many other countries, far more advanced and with
better healthcare systems than Cyprus, was not an option for us. We were
criticized for being overly strict and unfair as regards the measures we
implemented. I assure you that it was not easy neither for the President nor
myself or any other member of the Cabinet. We spent long hours trying to make
the best decision, bearing in mind that we primarily needed to protect the Public
Health. I have no regrets, even now, on how we addressed this health crisis
and the measures we imposed.
We still implement strict
restrictions, especially regarding social events. We need to be in line with
other countries and we have to remain prepared in view of a new outbreak. No
cure or vaccine is yet available and, therefore, the recommendations of all
competent world and European Organizations advocate for gradual and targeted
lifting of the restrictions.
Once again, I would like to
reaffirm the Government’s readiness to address a new outbreak. We monitor the
developments worldwide and we update our strategy, aiming, of course, at
having the minimum impact both to our patients and the healthcare system.
(MKY)
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