Coronavirus round-up: March 22-28

Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik receiving the vaccine.
Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik receiving the vaccine. Source: Raigo Pajula/ITK

Last week 7,822 new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed across Estonia falling from 10,309 the previous week. There were 82 deaths, a new record high.

ERR News has rounded up the most important news and data about the coronavirus in Estonia from the last week and put it in one place.

This round-up is usually published on Monday, because the results for Sunday of the previous week are released on Monday morning, only making it possible to analyze the previous week's results after the data has been reported.

You can find the following graphs below:

  • The total number of new cases diagnosed by week;
  • New cases by day for March 22-28;
  • New cases by county by week;
  • New cases compared with deaths and hospital releases;
  • Total number of positive and negative tests by week;
  • Deaths of covid-positive patients by week;
  • Number of coronavirus vaccine doses administered in Estonia by week.

The data has been taken from the Health Board and we downloaded it from Koroonakaart which publishes data every day in English, Russian and Estonian.

Our "Coronavirus in Estonia: All You Need to Know" guide also provides an overview of total cases by county, the daily rate of new cases, and includes a breakdown of all the restrictions so far. We update this page daily.

In the graphs below, you can add or take away data from the graphs by clicking on the colored dots below. The data points are (mostly) dated with each Monday's date. 

By week: Cases fell from the record high of 10,309, to 7,844 - the lowest number for four weeks - a difference of 2,465 cases. There were 82 deaths recorded.

The 14-day infection rate was 1364.21 per 100,000 inhabitants on Monday (March 29), compared to 1521.02 a week earlier (March 22). Estonia no longer has the highest 14-day infection rate in Europe and is now second after San Marino.

Experts are cautiously optimistic about the falling infection rate.

By day: There were more than 1,000 new cases on five days last week and the highest number was 1,553 and the lowest was 584.

There were 82 deaths. The highest on a single day was 14 and the lowest was eight.

By county: While cases have fallen, the highest number of cases were still recorded in Harju County. Cases have fallen in all counties although the figure has plateaued somewhat in Tartu County.

There were 4,869 new cases in Harju County compared to 6,482 last week - a fall of 1,613.

The was a big drop in cases in Saare County which recorded 86 new cases compared to 227 the week before. Ida-Viru County's cases fell from 863 to 751, Lääne-Viru County's from 565 to 427, Võru County's from 125 to 72 and Pärnu County's from 285 to 243. Tartu County's cases also fell from 418 to 384.

As the Health Board no longer releases data about outbreaks, it is not possible to say why the infect rate is increasing in each region.

In the graph below, you can add or take away data from the graph by clicking on the colored dots.

Hospital releases: 477 people were released from hospital last week, the same number as the week before.

On Monday, 724 people were being treated in hospitals across Estonia and intensive care capacity in Tallinn and the northern region had reached a critical level. Patients are now being taken from Tallinn to Tartu for treatment.

The infection rate - R - is now 0.9 which means the infection rate is no longer growing but experts are predicting hospitals will still have high patient capacity for the next few weeks.

Positive and negative tests by week: There were 7,844 positive tests last week and 34,242 negatives which gives a total of 42,064, the lowest number of tests for several weeks.

The average positive share per day was 18.65 percent compared to 20.10 percent last week.

Deaths: There were 82 deaths, 13 more than the week before.

The total number of people who have died after being diagnosed with coronavirus in Estonia is 896, as of Tuesday.

Vaccinations: In total, 26,926 coronavirus vaccines were administered last week, 23,087 first doses and 3,839 second doses. Last week Estonia received its smallest delivery of vaccines for several months but this week it will receive a record number and mass vaccinations are planned for the weekend.

As of Monday (March 29), 194,350 people had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Vaccinations by sex and county: As of Monday, several counties have a vaccination coverage rate of more than 20 percent. Harju and Ida-Viru counties have the lowest rates while Saare and Hiiu counties have the highest.

Second dose coverage is increasing too but much more slowly.

As of Monday, 122,280 women and 71,985 men had received a first dose and 43,116 women and 17,719 men have received a second dose.

"Let's keep Estonia open!"

The Health Board launched a new campaign called "Let's keep Estonia open!" ("Hoiame Eesti elu avatud!") this week, which calls for the people of Estonia to follow five basic principles:

  • Stay at home if you have fallen ill;
  • Stay at least two meters away from other people;
  • Wear a mask in crowded places;
  • Wash your hands diligently;
  • Download the HOIA app onto your smartphone;
  • Get your information from reliable sources, such as kriis.ee, the Health Board or contact the free 1247 helpline.

The spread of coronavirus in Estonia is extensive and rapid, which means that it is possible to get infected anywhere you may come in to contact with others.

If possible, choose electronic channels and online services for running your errands. Run as many of your errands as possible via electronic channels which will allow you to avoid unnecessary contact with others and reduce the risk of your being infected.

If you experience any symptoms, please stay at home.

Download HOIA

Estonia's coronavirus exposure notification app HOIA 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.

Note to readers

Feedback is welcome, as are suggestions for data we can show or stories we can tell. Email: [email protected]

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Editor: Helen Wright

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