Estonia has Europe's second highest coronavirus rate
25 Feb 2021 EWR Online
PERH staff and facilities during the emergency situation. Source: Aivar Kullamaa/PERH
The number of new coronavirus cases was more than 20 percent higher last week than in the preceding week making Estonia's infection rate the second highest in Europe, newspaper Postimees reported on Wednesday.
As of Thursday morning, Estonia's 14-day average is 850.81 per 100,000 people. The World Health Organization's monitor show's the Czech Republic has the highest rate at 1,211.
Üllar Lanno, director general of the Health Board, said that the agency thinks a nationwide rate below 500 would be satisfactory but, currently, the figure is above 500 in 11 Estonian counties. See the graph below.
At a press conference on Tuesday, speaking about the infection rate, he said: "Estonia is second in Europe. If everything continues in the same way, then becoming the first is not difficult," Lanno said.
Should the trend continue, Estonia's infection rate may grow to around 2,000 in two to three weeks, he told the newspaper. The infection rate - known as R - is above 1 meaning the spread of the virus is increasing.
Looking at the date, the growth in the number of infections is fastest among people aged 10-29, particularly boys. The virus is also rapidly increasing among people aged 30-39.
