During December the omicron strain of the coronavirus has arrived in Estonia and become the dominant strain. Its quick spread and shorter incubation period have caught the attention of Estonian health professionals, public broadcaster ERR reports.
In the Estonian Health Board Hanna Sepp, the head of the board’s infectious diseases department, stated on Wednesday, December 29, that 55% of positive test results analysed the day before turned out to be the Omicron variant. It led the official to conclude that it is now the dominant strain.
The official also noted that in Estonia, the Omicron strain spreads faster in Estonia than the Delta strain, with the number of cases doubling about every three days. The variant’s incubation period is also lower, down to three days.
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Emergency staff chief doctor Ragnar Vaiknemets at the Estonian Health Board noted that this will be followed by a fourth Covid wave in Estonia. The number of new Covid hospitalisations has not yet increased in Estonia, Vaiknemets said, while infections and spread within hospitals, including between staff, will be a key factor, ERR reports.
Estonian health workers speak of next virus wave as Omicron prevails Delta
