Airport, Covid-19, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Health, Latvia, Medicine, Transport

The Health Board analyzed 43 samples on Wednesday, of which one taken from a middle-aged resident of Tallinn, who arrived from northern Italy by plane on Feb. 29, tested positive. 

Samples taken from the people the second confirmed coronavirus patient, a resident of Tartu, has come into close contact with all tested negative for the disease.

Having arrived in Riga, the third coronavirus carrier drove their personal car to Tallinn. Their symptoms included fever and joint pain.

The resident of Tallinn is being treated at home, and the health condition of the people they have come into close contact with is being monitored by the Health Board. 

While the second and third confirmed coronavirus patients traveled on the same plane, the two cases may be unrelated. The Health Board conducts an epidemiological study into each confirmed case to identify the source of infection.

As the only confirmed coronavirus patient in Tartu has followed all recommendations by the Health Board after returning from their trip, the likelihood of transmission in the city is low.

The patient in Tartu, who was the second person to be diagnosed with the illness in Estonia, self-quarantined immediately after their trip, used a face mask while travelling and disinfected their hands before any symptoms manifested. The people who came into close contact with them before they self-quarantined have not exhibited any symptoms.

Altogether three cases of the novel coronavirus have thus far been diagnosed in Estonia.

Samples are now taken from people who suspect having contracted the virus at their homes by ambulance teams in Tallinn and Tartu. The latter team also services the entire region of southern Estonia. The second sample to test positive for the virus was taken at the affected person's home in Tartu, sent to the laboratory of the University of Tartu Hospital and subsequently to the Health Board. 

People who suspect that they are infected should consult with their family doctor or make a call to the family doctor hotline 1220. In case of more serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, a call should be made to the emergency number 112. Patients who suspect that they have the disease are urged not to turn to the emergency department of a hospital, as in doing so they may spread the infection to others.

Coronavirus suspicions are only justified if a person has both recently traveled to an area affected by the virus and is also exhibiting the corresponding symptoms. Otherwise the person may have contracted influenza or a similar virus.  

The Health Board is advising people to wash their hands and avoid people who have symptoms of respiratory illness.

On the basis of the risk assessment of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the risk areas of the spread of the coronavirus at the moment are China, Iran, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the North Italian regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont.