COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia

COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia
Total number of COVID-19 cases in Estonia per 10,000 inhabitants:
  Confirmed > 3300 to 3600 per 10,000
  Confirmed > 3600 to 3900 per 10,000
  Confirmed > 3900 to 4200 per 10,000
  Confirmed > 4200 to 4500 per 10,000
  Confirmed > 4500 to 4800 per 10,000
  Confirmed > 4800 to 5100 per 10,000
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationEstonia
Index caseTallinn
Arrival date27 February 2020 (4 years, 8 months and 28 days)
Confirmed cases612,746[1]
Recovered616,311 (updated 23 July 2023)[2]
Deaths
2,998[1]
Fatality rate0.49%
Vaccinations
  • 870,202[1] (total vaccinated)
  • 862,739[1] (fully vaccinated)
  • 2,171,520[1] (doses administered)
Government website
Estonian Health Board (in Estonian)

The COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The virus was confirmed to have spread to Estonia when the first case was confirmed in Tallinn on 27 February 2020.[3] By 11 March, 15 people in Estonia had been diagnosed with the virus. All of them had been infected outside the country, mostly in Northern Italy.[4][5] On 12 March, the first cases of locally transmitted infections emerged,[6] and on 13 March, the Estonian government declared a state of emergency until 1 May 2020. As a result, all schools and universities were closed, and all public gatherings were banned, including sports and cultural events.[7] Later the state of emergency was extended until 17 May.[8]

Saare County was the hardest hit county in Estonia by the COVID-19 during spring. It has only 2.5% of the population of Estonia, but in March, it had over half of all hospitalized patients.[9] Coronavirus was allegedly brought there by the Italian volleyball club Power Volley Milano, which participated in the 2019–20 CEV Challenge Cup matches held on Saaremaa island on 4 and 5 March. The virus may have spread rapidly in the community through a champagne festival held later on. Health officials estimate that half of the island's population have contracted the virus so far.[10][11][12]

At the beginning of the pandemic, most of the cases came in from Austria and Italy,[13] but in the second part of the year 2020, Russia, Ukraine, and Finland took the lead.[14]

In the first months of 2021 situation grow worse and by mid-March Estonia had the most new cases per capita in the world.[15] Starting from March 11 stronger measures were taken to suppress the spread of the virus.

As of 21 January 2023, 2,192,989 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Estonia.[16]

  1. ^ a b c d e Mathieu, Edouard; Ritchie, Hannah; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Roser, Max (2020–2024). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  2. ^ "COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info.
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  8. ^ "Valitsus pikendas eriolukorda" ERR, 24.04.2020 (in Estonian)
  9. ^ "Enamik hospitaliseeritud nakatunutest on pärit Saaremaalt" [Most of hospitalized patients are from Saaremaa] (in Estonian) ERR, 20 March 2020
  10. ^ "Three new cases of coronavirus disease confirmed in Estonia" ERR, 11.03.2020
  11. ^ "Täiuslik koroonakolle: kuidas viirus Saaremaa menuüritustelt valla pääses" [Perfect coronavirus hotspot: how did the virus get lose from a popular event in Saaremaa] Eesti Ekspress, 18.03.2020
  12. ^ "Life on Estonia's 'corona island'". BBC. 15 April 2020.
  13. ^ COVID-19 andmed seisuga 27.04.2020 Terviseamet (in Estonian)
  14. ^ COVID-19 andmed seisuga 26.10.2020 Terviseamet, 27.10.2020 (in Estonian)
  15. ^ "Eesti tõusis suhtelise nakatumisnäiduga maailmas esikohale" Delfi, 12.03.2021 (in Estonian)
  16. ^ "Estonia: WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard With Vaccination Data". covid19.who.int. Retrieved 2023-02-02.