Health Board: 52 new cases of coronavirus diagnosed
Fifty-two new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in the last 24 hours, data released by the Health Board shows on Saturday. The 14 day infection rate per 100,000 people is 38.07
Thirty-two new cases were recorded in Harju County, seven in Ida-Viru County and one each in Tartu, Pärnu, Põlva, Lääne-Viru, Rapla and Jõgeva counties.
Seven cases had no information in the population register.
As of Saturday morning, 29 people are being treated in hospital, three of whom are breathing with the aid of ventilators.
In total, 4,351 positive tests have been recorded in Estonia since February and more than 250,000 tests have been carried out.
Currently, data can be viewed on the Health Board's website in Estonian. You can also see selected data in ERR New's "Coronavirus in Estonia: All you need to know" guide.
Situation by region
Northern region
The circumstances surrounding the new cases from Harju County are still being investigated.
The Health Board's northern regional department is monitoring over 1,700 people, of whom 300 have fallen ill.
There are nine different outbreaks in total within the northern regional department's area of operations. Forty-two cases are connected to the first outbreak in a workplace, while the second workplace outbreak involves eight cases, and the third workplace outbreak also involves eight cases. An outbreak within a family circle includes five individuals, while the first school outbreak involves six cases. A fourth workplace outbreak involves nine cases, while a fifth workplace outbreak includes six individuals. A second school outbreak includes five cases. A party outbreak was also added yesterday which includes ten individuals.
Eastern region
Three of the seven new cases from Ida-Viru County were infected within their family circle, while two further individuals caught the virus from their acquaintances. One individual was infected at a kindergarten, and one case was brought in from a European Union member state.
The new case from Lääne-Viru County was brought in from Ukraine.
There are seven active outbreaks in total within the eastern regional department's area of operations. Eleven cases are connected to an outbreak at a school in Kohtla-Järve, and an outbreak within a circle of family members and acquaintances in Ida-Viru County involves eight cases. There are nine cases that are connected to an outbreak at a school in Jõhvi, and twenty-one cases to the care home outbreak in Jõhvi. The outbreak at a school in Sillamäe involves a further thirty-six individuals, and an outbreak at an entertainment establishment involves ten cases in total in Kohtla-Järve and Sillamäe. The workplace outbreak from Narva involves seven cases.
The Health Board's eastern regional department is monitoring over 650 people, of whom 120 have fallen ill.
Southern region
The new case from Jõgeva County was infected in the workplace, while the new case from Põlva County, however, caught the virus from a family member.
The southern regional department is monitoring over 400 people, of whom fifty-seven have fallen ill.
As part of those efforts the southern regional department is also monitoring two outbreaks. An outbreak in a workplace in Võru involves twenty-four individuals and another workplace outbreak in Jõgeva County involves twenty individuals.
Western region
The case in Pärnu County was caught from family members.
More than 130 people are monitored by the Western Regional Department, 25 of whom are ill.
Health Board: Let's remain vigilant
The spread of coronavirus has remained stable, but let's remain vigilant, the Health Board said in its daily update.
The spread has been stabilised thanks to the responsible, attentive, and careful behaviour of the people of Estonia.
The number of cases which have been brought in from abroad has decreased a touch in the past week, but still remains at around forty cases a week. While forty-four cases were brought in from abroad in the week before last, the same figure for last week was forty. Infected individuals arrived mainly from Russia and Ukraine, followed by the United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, and other European counties.
Last week, 7.6 tests were analysed for every 100,000 people. This number is not sufficiently high to prove that there is currently no concealed spread of the virus in Estonia. The share of positive test results was 2.1 percent.
Üllar Lanno, director-general of the Health Board, said the people of Estonia and the healthcare sector have done a good job in fighting the virus, but its spread is gathering pace elsewhere in the world.
"We must keep in mind the longer perspective and the global view. As the spread of the virus is gathering pace in Europe, we must also remain vigilant," said Lanno, adding that people should only travel if it is unavoidable."
Furthermore, those individuals who chose to spend the school holidays travelling within Estonia should also be careful, according to Lanno. "You can also catch COVID-19 when travelling around your home country."
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.
Editor's note: This article was updated to add regional information.
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Editor: Helen Wright