Estonia: The government allocated 880,000 euros to monitor the spread of the coronavirus

NordenBladet — At today’s meeting, the government decided to allocate 880,000 euros from the reserve to the Ministry of Education and Research to continue the COVID-19 monitoring study in November and December 2020. The aim of the monitoring study conducted by the University of Tartu is to monitor the actual spread of the coronavirus and the course of the epidemic in Estonia.

According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, in the current situation, the state needs science-based information to make decisions. “In order to control the spread of the virus, we need constant input from scientists on the epidemiological situation. In this way, as a country, we can respond quickly and flexibly and avoid placing an excessive burden on our people and businesses. The monitoring study provides valuable input on the basis of which the government can plan further activities,” said Ratas.

The Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps acknowledged the work of the researchers. “Estonia has done well in preventing the spread of the virus so far, and our researchers have played an important role in this. The government has funded several large-scale researches to further investigate the coronavirus during and after the emergency situation,” said Reps.

The monitoring study is carried out on the basis of a random sample of the adult population, which makes it possible to identify the extent of the spread of asymptomatic infections. People’s risk behaviour and its changes will also be studied. At the beginning of September, for example, thanks to a monitoring survey, the latent spread of the virus was discovered in Ida-Viru County and a little later nationwide. Thanks to the monitoring survey, the spread was detected in the initial phase of the outbreak.

Researchers at the University of Tartu have conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of eight survey waves to determine the actual spread of the coronavirus and the course of the epidemic. Based on a random sample, nearly 21,000 people across Estonia have been interviewed and tested. Six waves were conducted countrywide and two were conducted regionally in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn and Harju County.

The allocated amount is intended for four study waves in November and December this year. After each study wave, the research team has provided the government with mid-term reviews which serve as a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the measures and revising them if necessary.

The scientific council will use the results of the study to assess the situation and to advise the government in planning and easing measures. The results of the study will also be shared with the Health Board.

Participation in the study is voluntary – the people included in the sample have the right to refuse to answer or take the test at any time.

In addition to the COVID prevalence monitoring survey, waste water surveillance will continue to detect latent spread of the virus and to do so as early and accurately as possible. If the possible spread of the virus is detected in some areas during the surveillance of waste water, the share of these areas in the population-based monitoring sample will be increased.

Read more about the monitoring survey: https://www.ut.ee/en/research/study-prevalence-coronavirus-estonia

Source: Estonian Government