The R rate increased slightly in the northern (1.08→1.2) and eastern (1.05→1.1) regions. The rate remained stable in the southern and western regions at 1.1 and 1.0, respectively.

The 14-day infection rate decreased by 31 percent in Saare County and 18.9 percent in Lääne County. The growth in rates was between 12 and 16 percent in other counties. Infection rates showed signs of stabilization over the previous week in Võru, Viljandi and Tartu counties.

The areas with the highest infection rates are still in southern Estonia, the highest rate is in Põlva County with 1,107.6 people per 100,000 residents.

In the upcoming week, infection rates are expected increase by an average of 10 percent and daily case numbers will average around 450 a day. The Health Board forecasts that Estonia will reach high risk level in the start of October.

Infections by age

Last week, infections grew among children. The number of infected people increased by 107 percent in the 10-14 age group, 57 percent in the 15-19 age group and 28 percent in the 5-9 age group.

The number of infected people also went up in the 40-49 age group, but decreased in the 70-79 age group.

Over the past week, 3.7 percent of all cases were related to travel. 35 percent of the infections were traced back to the family, 7.1 percent were traced back to the workplace, 4.2 got infected among acquaintances, 1 percent of the cases were traced back to entertainment events, 3.6 percent to care homes, 12.6 percent to schools and kindergartens.

Infections among family, the workplace, acquaintances, care homes and entertainment events decreased over the last week. Infections in childcare establishments and schools increased.

Number of outbreaks up in the southern region

There were 78 active outbreaks in the last week, up from 64 the week prior, according to data from the Health Board. The number of outbreaks increased significantly in the southern region, primarily through infections in care homes and education establishments (schools and kindergarten).

The structure of outbreaks is changing. The number of outbreaks in care homes, education establishments and workplaces has gone up, but outbreaks related to different events, such as festivals, entertainment, birthdays, camps, etc., have begun to decrease.

The Health Board is monitoring 15 care home outbreaks, up from eight the week prior. In total, there are 397 infected people in care home outbreaks.

There are no new healthcare establishment outbreaks with the only one in Valga Hospital, where the number of infected people is 11, made up of six workers and five patients.

Last week, there were multiple outbreaks in education establishments. There are currently 10 outbreaks in schools and nine outbreaks in kindergartens. There are 209 infected people in these outbreaks, nearly 200 less than in care home outbreaks (397).

Cases related to travel

Last week, 97 diagnosed cases stemmed from travel, making up 3.7 percent of all cases last week. Infections were traced back to 22 different countries with Finland the most common, followed by Sweden, Turkey and Russia. A case was also brought to Estonia from Madagascar.

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