Coronavirus situation improves

The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to decline between 26 April and 2 May, although the rate of decline has slowed down slightly, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release on Thursday.

The regional differences in the development of the epidemic have also evened out to some extent. The number of people getting tested is commendable. It is expected that the need for hospital care will decrease slowly.

Because the number of new COVID-19 cases remains high, it is justified to uphold comprehensive and effective measures to prevent infections in regions. Rapid developments in the epidemic are still possible and different virus variants increase uncertainty about the COVID-19 epidemic.

Between 26 April and 2 May, about 1,350 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register, showing a decrease of about 250 cases from that in the previous week. The number of new cases was 73 per cent lower between 26 April and 2 May than between 8 and 14 March, when the number of cases was the highest during the entire epidemic (4,941 cases). The incidence of new cases was 25 per 100,000 inhabitants between 26 April and 2 May, while in the previous week it was 29.

The total number of new cases reported in the last two-week period was about 2,980, which is around 1,490 cases fewer than that in the preceding two-week period. The incidence of new cases was 54 per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the preceding two-week period it was 81.

Currently, the estimated basic reproduction number is 0.65-0.85, with a 90 per cent probability.

Between 26 April and 2 May, the incidence in all age groups under 50 years of age was down on the previous week. The incidence decreased the most among 20-29-year-olds. The incidence rate was the highest among 10-19-year-olds. There are regional differences in the incidence of cases by age group.

More than 114,000 COVID-19 tests were taken between 26 April and 2 May. Between 26 April and 2 May, the percentage of positive samples of those tested was about 1.2.