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135 people have been infected with coronavirus

Foto: Simmo Saar

135 people have been infected with coronavirus in Estonia this morning. 62 positive samples have been taken in Harju County, 37 in Saaremaa, 13 in Pärnu County, 9 in Võru County, 6 in Tartu County and 8 in Virumaa. As of January 31, a total of 971 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Estonia.

The capacity of detection in Estonia of the viral disease COVID-19 is today in the laboratories of the Health Board, Tartu University Hospital, Synlab, North-E stonia Regional Hospital, Ida-Viru Central Hospital and Pärnu Hospital.

Given the growing prevalence of the virus, testing for patients with mild viral disease is no longer feasible, focusing on at-risk groups, healthcare professionals and other vital services to save healthcare resources and provide vital services. In order to cope with the epidemic, the Estonian health care system has been moved to a second level of preparedness by the Minister of Social Affairs, according to which health care institutions can postpone planned treatment and focus on treating seriously ill people.The ambulance also focuses on serving people with severe illnesses.

A few days ago, the UK health system also moved to a similar pace. The Health Board no longer considers it appropriate to divide countries into risk areas for the spread of coronavirus, since the virus has spread to every Member State of the European Union.

At the moment there is a high risk of infection everywhere in crowded places, so we recommend that you avoid traveling and keep distance from crowded places. Estonia's main focus at this stage is to prevent the spread of the virus to risk groups (the elderly and people with chronic diseases).

aRaising public health awareness remains important. According to the Health Board's risk assessment, the probability of local widespread spread of the disease is medium. The Health Board based its risk assessment on WHO and ECDC data, risk assessments, -analyzes, -prognosis. Those arriving from abroad and having contact with the infected person must stay at home, avoid contact with other people and monitor their health for 14 days.

To reduce the symptoms of the disease (fever, cough, rhinitis), we recommend symptomatic treatment with over-the-counter medicines. In case of severe breathing difficulties or shortness of breath call 112.

If symptoms occur, it is not right to go to the family doctor or hospital emergency department. Symptoms of illness are similar for many viral diseases, and as we move around ill, we can infect others.

In the context of the national spread of the coronavirus, a person who did not have the virus in the queue at a healthcare facility has a very high chance of getting infected.

  • The Health Board, in cooperation with ambulances and hospitals, has an overview of the situation and is aware of the condition of patients.
  • At the moment, all the coronavirus patients (except one) are undergoing home treatment.
  • The global trend of coronavirus spreading is declining (e.g China is on a downward trend and South Korea is stabilizing).
  • Given the spread of the virus locally, there will certainly be more cases of the infected people in Estonia.
  • Over-60s are the most vulnerable group. Working people of this age should, if possible, do based-mobile work. We recommend all people over the age of 60 to avoid crowded places, stay at home wherever possible, and in any case avoid contact with people with the disease and reduce interactions with children who usually have mild coronavirus symptoms, but are particularly vulnerable to relatives.
  • 80% of coronavirus sufferers have mild disease, 10-15% may require intensive care, and 2% of cases may be fatal (at-risk, elderly, people with low levels of resistance and people with chronic conditions).
  • It is important to continue following strict hygiene rules (hand washing, protected coughing, sneezing and sniffing, avoiding close contact / handshaking / hugging), avoid traveling and staying home in case of illness.

The Health Board would like to thank all the authorities, local governments and companies who have taken various measures to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

On Saturday evening, the government announced that only people with a permanent residence on the islands of Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Muhumaa, Vormsi, Kihnu and Ruhnu are allowed to travel to the islands. Other people must and can not enter the area. Those who are currently there still can return home. The restriction does not adapt to the transport of goods and the provision of vital services. The government also ordered the closedown of gyms, sports clubs, gyms, saunas, spas, swimming pools, swimming pools, water centers, day centers and children's playrooms all over Estonia, including hotels and accommodations.

The Health Board’s headquarters has been in operation since January 28, and from mid-February it has been open daily from 9 am to 9 pm. The Health Board has 24/7 staffing and epidemiological consultation. The Health Board monitors the situation in the world on a daily basis and compares it with Estonia. Every day, the Health Board monitors the health of each person who is infected by keeping in touch and calling them and advises patients and their close relatives. Due to national spread, the Health Board no longer monitors people, who had close contact with infected person.

More information can be found on the Health Board's website www.terviseamet.ee/en/covid19 and on the Health Board's Facebook page.

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