Coronavirus prevalence remains high, but people are doing less to avoid infection
This wave of the prevalence study led by the University of Tartu shows that the virus is still rapidly spreading among adults. The infection is fuelled by people’s disregard for precautions, which is now higher than ever before during the study.
During the study wave from 12 to 24 October, 2,104 people were tested for coronavirus. 6.2% of them tested positive, and 3.8% were still infectious. This allows estimating that one in 26 adults is currently infectious. The figure has somewhat increased compared to last month. Most of the infected (70%) have noticeable but generally mild symptoms.
An analysis of antibodies against the coronavirus revealed that 91% of adults had the protective antibodies. The prevalence of antibodies in over 65-year-olds is as high as 95%. Almost all vaccinated people have antibodies, while among those who are unvaccinated but have recovered from the disease, 80% have antibodies. People who have received two booster vaccine doses have a significantly higher amount of antibodies than others.
The willingness to get a booster dose is the highest among people over 65. More than half of them are planning to get it. By contrast, only a fifth of people aged 18–39 would like to take the booster.
Risk behaviour is the highest in the history of the study
Estonia is currently at the medium risk level based on the number of people needing hospital care. Over the last month, more than 200 people required hospitalisation. The behavioural survey carried out with the study shows that people’s risk perceptions have fallen to the lowest level in the last two years. A third of adults do nothing to avoid getting infected. Careless behaviour is especially noticeable among people aged 40–64, but also among young adults.
Although the proportion of those who had contact with an infected person increased last month, the use of precautions to stop the virus has further decreased. During this study wave, one in eight adults was in close contact with an infected person. However, most of them (4/5) do nothing to prevent the further spread of the virus. This pattern is particularly common among unvaccinated people. According to the head of the prevalence study, University of Tartu Professor of Family Medicine Ruth Kalda, the reduced risk perception towards Covid-19 is quite expectable, as the predominant virus strain is milder. However, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus may also cause severe illness for at-risk groups. Therefore, we should make it a rule to take a rapid Covid test after contact with an infected person or with symptoms of a cold and stay home if the test is positive. This way, we can prevent the further spread of the virus,” Kalda said.
The coronavirus prevalence study is conducted by a broad-based research team of the University of Tartu in cooperation with Synlab Estonia, Medicum and Kantar Emor.
The prevalence study is the only tool in Estonia to monitor the prevalence of the coronavirus in the adult population. The findings will help decision-makers make evidence-based decisions on using healthcare resources for the health and well-being of Estonian citizens. The study is commissioned by the Government of the Republic and funded by the European Regional Development Fund from the EU measure to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For more information about the study, see the University of Tartu web page.
