Day brings 50 new COVID-19 cases

Over the past 24 hours, 1,823 initial COVID-19 tests were administered and 50 people diagnosed in Estonia. The 14-day case rate now stands at 30.78 and the Health Board says the next three weeks will be critical in terms of getting the virus under control.
Data from the population register suggests most new cases were diagnosed in Ida-Viru County at 30. Sixteen people were diagnosed in Harju County, two in Lääne-Viru County and one in Tartu County. One person who tested positive does not have a registered place of residence.
Of the 16 cases in Harju County, 14 concern citizens of Tallinn. Two cases were imported from Ukraine, while nine cases concern close contacts of people previously diagnosed. The circumstances of the remaining cases are being ascertained.
Two cases were imported from Finland and Denmark in September 18-19.
The Health Board's northern arm is monitoring three active outbreaks and 1,992 people, 209 of whom have taken ill.
New cases in Ida-Viru County include 18 close contacts of people previously diagnosed. The eastern region has four active outbreaks, with the Health Board monitoring 680 people, 145 of whom have taken ill.
The board's southern arm is monitoring three outbreaks and 153 people of whom 41 have taken ill.
Health Board west is monitoring 47 people, seven of whom have developed symptoms.
The board urges people to remember that a close contact is a situation where people are closer than two meters apart for over 15 minutes, meaning that attending a social gathering while ill is a surefire way to infect one's friends – people often spend hours indoors, speaking in loud voices. The latter helps ensure the spread of the virus.
People intent on attending gatherings would do well to download and install the HOIA mobile application as it helps detect potential close contacts more effectively.
22 people in need of hospital treatment
As of the morning of September 20, 22 people need to be treated for the coronavirus in hospitals, with three people on assistant breathing. No one was discharged in the last 24 hours. Two cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in hospitals.
By Sunday, hospitals have closed 433 COVID-19 cases involving 420 people.
2,377 people have recovered, with the cases of 1,817 (76.4 percent) closed and 560 people (23.6 percent) having gone more than 28 days without testing positive and are not being treated in hospital.
The 14-day case rate per 100,000 people stands at 30.78.
Estonia has administered a total of over 187,000 initial tests, 2,924 (1.55 percent) of which have been positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. More accurate coronavirus statistics is available here.
How to stop the spread of the coronavirus?
- The most effective way to avoid infection is keeping one's distance.
- It is advisable to wear a mask in crowded places and especially indoors where keeping one's distance is impossible.
- Avoid crowded places if possible.
- Hand hygiene is important – wash your hands often.
- Use warm water and soap to wash your hands or alcohol-based disinfectants in public places.
- When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth with a disposable tissue. Immediately dispose of the tissue and sanitize your hands. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (forearm) and not a naked hand.
- Stay home if ill, even if your symptoms are mild.
- Interpret any cold symptoms as a possible case of COVID-19 and contact your family doctor.
- Download the HOIA mobile application available on Google Play and the App Store. The application warns you of any potential close contacts and allows you to report taking ill anonymously. Devices using the application exchange anonymous codes, with neither the state, developer nor phone manufacturer finding out who were in contact. More information is available here.
COVID-19 is a droplet infection disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that spreads through coughing and sneezing and can survive on surfaces that are not disinfected.
Data from the Health and Welfare Information Systems Center suggests the HOIA app has been downloaded 127,917 times and used to report COVID-19 by 44 people.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski