Speaking at the regular Thursday government press conference, Kallas said that triaging must purely be a decision for doctors and hospitals and not a political one.

Kallas was responding to calls from the Estonian Medical Association (Eesti Arstide Liit) for the government to set a limit of coronavirus patients, beyond which full-scale triage would start to be applied in hospital admission,

Also appearing at Thursday's press conference, Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (Center) said that the entire populace should make an effort to ensure that Covid patients and those with other issues alike receive treatment in hospitals, with the best way to do this being to get vaccinated.

Kiik said: "I understand medics who express a hope hope that the pandemic will exit its critical phase and we could be in a similar position to the Nordic countries, where Covid has not overburdened hospitals."

The Health Board (Terviseamet) said earlier Thursday that it can't give a definite number of coronavirus patients before triaging needs to be put in place.

As of Wednesday, 610 coronavirus patients were being treated in hospital. Earlier on, the health service had said 600 was the limit to ensure patient care across all levels of treatment.

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