Official: Infection with coronavirus in Estonia has stabilized on very high level

TALLINN - While infection of residents with coronavirus has stabilized in Estonia, the stabilization has taken place on a very high level, deputy director general of the Health Board Mari-Anne Harma told reporters on Wednesday. 

Harma observed that the spread of the infection has stabilized and on some days minor reductions have been registered. At the same time, the infection indicators continue to be on a very high level.

In Harju County, which includes the capital Tallinn, infection is on a minor downtrend, and in East-Viru County it has stabilized. In the South region infection meanwhile is on a rise. The infection indicators for Parnu County are showing the first signs of stabilization, the official said.

"The situation in Estonia is not alright yet, we are having extensive nationwide incidence," Harma said.

Of the new cases registered last week, 64 percent were close contacts. Most of the people who got infected were working-age people. One-third of them got infected at work and in another one-third of cases the source of the infection was not known. The infection of younger people is on an upward trend, Harma said. 

Of the elderly people who diagnosed positive for the virus during the week, 41 percent got infected in a care home, while in 29 percent of the cases the source of the infection was not known.

The number of outbreaks in schools and in kindergartens has doubled week over week.

Cases in which the infection had been brought into Estonia accounted for 3.2 percent of all cases last week. The main countries of origin were Finland, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates in third place with 11 cases. Harma explained that the latter were people who had traveled to the UAE for the school holiday.

The number of COVID-19 patients treated in hospital in Estonia has been stable since the end of December. The average person needing hospital treatment due to COVID-19 is 70.5 years old. The average age of the patients infected with the virus who died last week was 81.1 and all of them had accompanying health problems.

Harma added that no stabilization or decline can be seen in the numbers of deaths.