Estonia - Premier Warns of Difficult Month Ahead as Virus Surges

[Okieman]

Estonian Premier Warns of Difficult Month Ahead as Virus Surges

By
Milda SeputyteMarch 4, 2021, 6:27 AM CST

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Estonia was headed for a “very difficult” month as the coronavirus surges amid the nation’s toughest lockdown restrictions to date.

The rise of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Estonia is now the second-highest in the European Union. The Tallinn stock exchange fell about 1%, the biggest drop since Feb. 10.

“The spread of the virus is explosive,” Kallas was cited as saying by the BNS news service on Thursday. “We all must restrict ourselves. The month of March will be very difficult.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...arns-of-difficult-month-ahead-as-virus-surges


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Okieman Comment: Pay attention to Estonia folks. I have to wonder whether what is happening in Estonia is part of why Finland has locked things down. I do not know. But take a look at the graph here for Estonia. https://covid19.who.int/region/euro/country/ee Scroll down until you see the Estonia Situation graphs at the bottom. Compare that graph to the one for Finland. Look at the dates for when the increase began in both countries. Then take a look at the graph for Sweden. While in a goodly part of the world cases are decreasing, this part of the world is seeing some pretty substantial increases.

 

[Okieman]

Health Board: 1,536 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed, 14 deaths

ERR News
Today at 02.50

1,536 new coronavirus cases have been found of a total 7,609 tests taken - a rate of 20.2 percent - in Estonia over the past 24 hours, the Health Board announced. 14 deaths were also registered.

14 new coronavirus deaths were registered within the past 24 hours, involving a 94-year old woman, an 89-year old man, an 88-year old man, an 85-year old man, an 84-year old woman, an 83-year old man, an 82-year old woman, an 80-year old man, a 78-year old man, a 77-year old man, a 73-yeaer old man, a 71-year old man, a 65-year old man and a 64-year old woman.

According to data from the population registry, there were 951 cases diagnosed in Harju County with 675 of those discovered in Tallinn.

<snip>

https://news.err.ee/1608132013/health-board-1-536-cases-of-covid-19-diagnosed-14-deaths

 

[Okieman]

Estonia investigates death of man two weeks after Covid-19 vaccination
BNN
March 5, 2021

In Estonia, a 31-year-old man has died two weeks after receiving a vaccine against Covi-19, Estonian government has stated. The circumstances of his death are still being investigated, broadcaster ERR reports.

Estonia’s Agency of Medicines stated this week that on Wednesday, March, a 31-year-old male rescue worker vaccinated against coronavirus in February had passed away. The agency had been notified by a hospital in Tallinn.

The man had been administered a AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on February 17. Following the vaccination, he felt a headache and fever, which are common side effects of this jab.

<snip>

https://bnn-news.com/estonia-investigates-death-of-man-two-weeks-after-covid-19-vaccination-222696

 

[Okieman]

Google Translated
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According to the wastewater survey, the number of infected people will not decrease any time soon

[FONT=proxima_nova]HEALTH[/FONT]
[FONT=proxima_nova]Jaan-Juhan Oidermaa, Erle Loonurm[/FONT]
[FONT=proxima_nova]Today at 07.23[/FONT]

[FONT=proxima_nova]Recent results from a wastewater survey conducted by the University of Tartu show that the virus content is still high in samples collected from all over Estonia. Based on the above, the number of people who gave a positive corona test will remain high in the following days, and the effect of the new restrictions will be seen in a week at the earliest.[/FONT]

[FONT=proxima_nova]"The virus content in the wastewater became high already in the first week of February, when the number of new illnesses and patients was still stable, after which things went crazy. In our experience, the wastewater survey .

Most of Estonia has turned red on the map showing the results, ie the virus is widespread in most counties. "If in the spring we were able to ask if there is more or less in some areas, now we can't ask that question anymore. Fortunately, we don't see an exponential rise, but there's certainly nothing good here," Tenson added.

<snip>

The group is also working to determine the proportion of different coronavirus strains in the future. Simply put, only a small part of the genomes of a large number of viruses that are characteristic of these different strains is studied at one time.

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https://novaator.err.ee/1608132328/reoveeuuringu-pohjal-ei-hakka-nakatunute-arv-vahenema-veel-niipea[/FONT]

 

[Okieman]

Google Translated - only part of article is available due to pay wall. I post this primarily due to it mentioning younger and sicker patients.
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Eastern Virus also treats children in hospital. At Rakvere Hospital, the situation is escalating: we run into nurses and doctors

(243)
]Younger and sicker people are being brought to the hospital[

Rakvere Hospital already had more people than planned this morning. It is likely that the full capacity limit will be exceeded in the coming days.

Today, 31 coronary patients were treated at Rakvere Hospital. Officially, they still have 27 hospital beds for covids, four of which are for intensive care.
In fact, there were 5 Covid patients in the morning in intensive care and 26 in regular beds. "We have gradually started to open the bed fund," Suurkaev explained how it is possible. Staff will also be redeployed on an ongoing basis.

<snip>

https://maaleht.delfi.ee/artikkel/9...rumas-odede-ja-arstkonna-pealt-jookseme-kokku

 

[Okieman]

Finland doubles down on restrictions: Arrivals from Estonia can't enter

NEWS
ERR, ERR News
Today at 09.19

The restrictions on entering Finland established on February 23, have caused a lot of confusion among Estonian citizens and residents, many of whom travel between the two countries for work, family and other reasons. Since it is now necessary to present a negative coronavirus test, many people have taken that as a sign that the bar on entry for all but the most significant cases has been lifted - which it hasn't.

Only those who are able to present a negative COVID-19 test are allowed on ferries sailing between Tallinn and Helsinki. Exceptions are made for children under 13, and transport staff.

<snip>

Finland was one of those states listed, despite having one of the lowest COVID-19 rates in Europe. While, on February 23, the Finnish state established a negative test requirement, this didn't bring with it the hoped relaxation of the restrictions.

Latvia has also closed its border, including to EU citizens meaning, with the Russian Federation borders subject to stringent entry requirements even before the pandemic, Estonia is practically cut off from the rest of Europe, other than by air.

https://news.err.ee/1608132061/finl...estrictions-arrivals-from-estonia-can-t-enter

 

[Okieman]

British and South African COVID-19 strains spreading across Estonia

CORONAVIRUS
ERR
Today at 07.14

The Health Board has sequenced 1,182 COVID-19 tests, of which 178 turned out to be the more agressive British and South African strains.

One of the samples with the South African strain has received the virus in Estonia, the others have been cases where the virus has been brought in via travel. 136 of the British strain cases are locally transmitted and 42 have been brought in, according to the Health Board.

The spread of the British strain in Estonia is constant, but the recently increased infection rates do not stem from that strain specifically. "The British strain is turning into the dominant strain in Estonia," Minister of Health and Labour Tanel Kiik (Center) said on Monday.

Researchers are conducting studies to find out the exact share of the variant in all Estonian infections. On Friday, ERR News wrote that a recent study conducted by the University of Tartu and the Health Board showed that the share of the British coronavirus variant among all Estonian infections is 13 percent.

<snip>

https://news.err.ee/1608134986/british-and-south-african-covid-19-strains-spreading-across-estonia