Second case of coronavirus diagnosed in Estonia
A second person tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Estonia the Health Board said on Tuesday. The patient has mild symptoms, is self-quarantining at home and is not at serious risk.
The patient arrived on a flight from Bergamo in northern Italy to Riga on February 29 and used personal transport to continue their journey to Estonia.
Martin Kadai, head of the emergency department of the Health Board, told ERR those who had been in close contact with the patient were being identified. The Latvian authorities have also be informed.
Kadai said the patient is feeling well and there is no serious risk to their health.
As of Tuesday, two cases of the coronavirus COVID-19 have been confirmed in Estonia. The first person to test positive was a man who had flown from Istanbul to Riga and then taken a bus to Tallinn on February 27. The man was hospitalized and is now recovering at West Tallinn Central Hospital.
In total, 100 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Estonia and 98 have returned negative results.
The Health Board believes more individual cases are likely and will probably to be connected to tourism and international travel. It said it is important to identify the virus as quickly as possible to stop it from spreading.
Anyone who has a reasonable suspicion of having COVID-19 should call their family doctor or the family doctor's advice line on 1220. The emergency numbers 112 should be called in the event of health deteriorating.
The virus can be suspected if the person has been in a risk area within the past 14 days. The North Estonia Medical Centre (PERH) in Tallinn is asking people with suspected symptoms not to go to the emergency room as COVID-19 patients are not being treated at the hospital and could infect others.
The Health Board is advising people to wash their hands and avoid people who have symptoms of respiratory illness.
After returning from a risk area, a person should monitor their health for 14 days. Students are being advised not to return to school. If a fever, cough or breathing difficulties occur, contact a doctor immediately and inform them of the trip.
Coronavirus risk areas currently include China, northern Italy, South Korea, and Iran. A map of cases around the world by country can be seen here.
More than 90,000 people around the world have contracted the virus and approximately 3,000 have died.
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Editor: Helen Wright
