Health Board: 618 new COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours, four deaths

A total of 618 new coronavirus cases have been identified in Estonia in the past 24 hours, the Heatlh Board (Terviseamet) said Saturday morning. Four people have died from complications relating to the coronavirus during that time, the board adds.
Estonia's new 14-day coronavirus rate per 100,000 inhabitants now stands at 594.89, while the proportion of positive results from testing over that period is now 11.9 percent.
All 15 of Estonia's counties posted coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
Harju County, the most populous region of the country, saw the highest number of new cases at 328 (280 of them in Tallinn), while Ida-Viru County posted 81. Pärnu County reported 55 new cases, Tartu County 39, Võru County 20 and Valga County 15.
Viljandi, Lääne-Viru and Rapla counties all received 14 new COVID-19 cases each in the past 24 hours, the board says, while Hiiumaa reported seven new cases, Jõgeva and Järva counties five each, Saaremaa and Põlva County four each, and Lääne County three.
Ten of the new coronavirus cases identified in the past 24 hours were among individuals with no address associated with them in the population register, the Health Board says.
4,758 primary coronavirus tests were conducted over that period, with 618 returning positive, giving a 13 percent positive rate, the board says.
Four people who had contracted COVID-19 died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of coronavirus-related deaths in Estonia to 320.
The number of people hospitalized due to the virus stood at at 385, while 38 new coronavirus cases were opened at hospitals.
1,282 people received the coronavirus vaccine, the board says, bringing the total number of recipients of the vaccine to date to 17,959 since the program started on December 26 2020.
Hospitalizations, testing, recovery rates
Thirty-eight new COVID-19 cases have been opened up in hospitals in the last 24 hours, the Health Board says.
Forty-four people are in intensive care, with 27 of these on ventilators.
Twenty-two people were discharged from hospital during the same period, seven were transferred to non-coronavirus wards and six to other hospitals.
The four deaths reported among coronavirus patients over the past 24 hours all involved men, aged 81, 79 and 61, along with one man who was 38 years of age.
Hospitals have to date wrapped up 1,989 coronavirus cases in 1,951 people (some individuals have had more than one case appended to them, hence the discrepancy).
As of January 16, 26,225 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Estonia. Of these, 19,337 (73.7 percent) had their case terminated by a health professional, while the remaining 26.3 percent meet the triple criteria of more than 28 days passing since they tested positive, not currently being hospitalized due to the virus and not awaiting closure of a coronavirus file.
Since the pandemic began, 705,787 primary coronavirus tests have been conducted in Estonia, with 36,691 of these returning positive during that time, or 5.2 percent of the total (around 2.7 percent of the population of Estonia as a whole).
There are an estimated 7,906 active COVID-19 cases in Estonia the time of writing.
More detailed information is available in English at the Koroonakaart site 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