Health Board: Eight new cases diagnosed in last 24 hours
Eight people tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours, the Health Board said on Wednesday.
Between 7 a.m. July 7 and 7 a.m. July 8, a total of 581 tests were analyzed across Estonia.
Three positive test results were recorded in Ida-Viru County with two of those in people from Narva.
Four were diagnosed in Harju County, with two in Tallinn, and one in Järva County.
In three cases the infections were in a family unit.
In two cases, the origin of the infection is currently unknown.
In three cases, people were infected at a birthday party which was attended by a guest who had travelled from Russia with signs of the disease. The remaining party guests will also be tested.
As of Wednesday morning, three people in Estonia are being treated in hospital and one patient is using a ventilator.
There were no deaths during the day. In total, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 69 people in Estonia.
As of today, 1,882 people have recovered. Active cases have risen from 13 to 20.
The total number of cases diagnosed in Estonia has now passed 20,000 and is 2,003.
Since July 1, the number of cases diagnosed each day has been below five. June 11 was the last day there were more than five cases.
To view more data visit at koroonakaart.
Infection was brought from Russia by a long-distance driver
As the border with Russia is closed and only Estonian citizens coming from Russia, or those who have a permanent Estonian residence permit, can cross, ERR asked the Health Board who the carrier of the infection was.
Eike Kingsepp, a spokesperson for the Health Board, said the person was a long-distance driver. The man crossed the border while performing work duties as entry to Estonia for long-distance freight is still allowed.
At the end of June, the driver attended a birthday party with friends and relatives in Narva-Jõesuu. According to current data, the party was attended by about a dozen people.
Kingsepp could not say why the symptoms had not been detected at the border. "He may have hidden them, but it has now been confirmed that he had obvious signs of illness."
Kingsepp said this was an avoidable transmission of the disease.
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Editor: Helen Wright