Health Board: 42 new COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours
Forty-two new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Estonia in the past 24 hours, the Health Board (Terviseamet) reports.
Twenty of the new cases were in Harju County, and 14 in Ida-Viru County, two regions showing the highest coronavirus rates recently.
Two cases were found in Tartu and Võru counties, and one each in Lääne-Viru, and Rapla counties.
Two cases had no residence entered in the population registry.
Estonia's current 14-day COVID-19 infection rate now stands at 51.47 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Regional breakdown
The Health Board is split into four districts, whose COVID-19 figures' breakdown follows.
Northern district
Of the 20 new cases in Harju County, 14 were found in Tallinn. One of the Harju cases was linked to a close family member and one to the work place. One case was brought in via travel from an EU state. The remaining cases' origin is as yet undetermined.
The northern district has identified six outbreaks, of which the largest concerns East-Tallinn Central Hospital (ITKH), which has seen 25 staff and 14 patients contract the virus, along with two canteen staff.
The Läänemere high school outbreak has affected 29 students and 10 teachers.
One workplace has chalked up 30 cases, with the Rescue Board (Päästeamet) recording seven cases.
Another outbreak concerns a workplace which has seen seven cases, and a family and acquaintance outbreak totals five cases.
2,200 people are being monitored by the Health Board's norther district, of whom 378 are sick.
Eastern district
As noted Ida-Viru County – which has been designated a high-risk area by the German foreign ministry – is the most heavily-affected region of Estonia in terms of new coronavirus cases. Together with the more sparsely-populated Lääne-Viru County, the eastern district has seen seven cases related to close family contacts, and three to the workplace. Two were contracted from a care home and from an acquaintance.
The region has 11 active outbreaks. The largest of these, with 30 cases so far, relates to close contacts, with 14 linked to a workplace in the town of Sillamäe, and another 9 to another workplace in the same town.
The Tammikuu high school has been linked to 12 cases, with seven related to a high school in Kohtla-Järve, another family and close contacts outbreak numbers nine and five are related to a birthday party held also in Kohtla-Järve.
Jõhvi high school has seen seven cases so far, and a care home in the town has experienced seven cases (five among residents plus two staff).
Sillmäe Old Town school has recorded eight cases, and another outbreak known as the "entertainment outbreak" has totaled nine cases both in Kohtla-Järve and Sillamäe (the towns are about 30 km apart).
The eastern district is monitoring over 1,000 people, 188 of whom are sick.
Southern district
The new case in Võru County was related to a close contact, and the Tartu County case was linked to travel, the Health Board says.
The southern district is monitoring over 300 individuals, 66 of whom are sick.
There is one active outbreak in the district, in Võru County, where 24 cases have been linked to a workplace.
Western district
No new cases were recorded in the western district, the least affected region at present.
On Saturday, more than 260 people were being monitored by, 31 of whom were sick. There were two recorded outbreaks, one in Lääne County linked to a Haapsalu event (six cases) and one on Saaremaa, linked to a family outbreak (also six cases).
Testing, hospitalization, recovery rates
2,204 primary coronavirus tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, with 42 returning positive, making a rate of 1.9 percent.
A total of 224,186 coronavirus tests have been performed in Estonia since the end of January, with 3,659 returning positive (a rate of 1.6 percent).
As of October 6, 39 people are in hospital due to the virus, with four on assistend breathing.
Four people have been sent home in the past 24 hours, but over the same period four new cases were opened.
No new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours. A total of 67 people have died from causes related to coronavirus, most recently at the weekend.
478 coronavirus cases in 465 people have been concluded by hospitals so far (some individuals have more than one case linked to them, hence the discrepancy).
A total of 2,806 people had been declared recovered as of October 5, the Health Board says. Of these, 2,136 had their cases wrapped up by a health professional, and 670 met the triple criteria of not having tested positive in the past 28 days, not waiting for their case to be terminated and not being currently hospitalized due to the virus.
There are 684 active cases in Estonia at present, six more than Monday.
Infection rates in Ida-Viru County (133.3 per 100,000), Võru County (113.0) and Harju County (57.5) are all higher than the national average.
There are 18 test centers in Estonia, including three at Tallinn harbor and the airport.
More detailed information is on the koroonakaart here.
How can the spread of coronavirus be stopped?
- The most efficient measure is keeping your distance.
- In crowded places and especially indoors where it is not possible to keep your distance from other people, it is advisable to wear a mask.
- Closed, crowded spaces should be avoided if possible.
- Hands must be washed frequently with soap and warm water.
- When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissue.
- Anyone who becomes ill should stay at home, even if their symptoms are mild.
- People who develop any symptoms should contact their family physician.
Download 'HOIA'
You can also download Estonia's coronavirus exposure notification app 'HOIA' which will alert you if you have been in close contact with someone who later tests positive for coronavirus.
The free app can be downloaded at the Google Play Store or App Store. Read ERR News' feature about the app here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte