New Coronavirus Treatment State Protocol introduced in Georgia
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, March 26
Georgia’s Ministry of Health has approved a new State Coronavirus Management Protocol on March 24th. The 37-page protocol is based on the clinical management of COVID-19 developed by the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese National Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Italian Society for Infectious and Tropical Diseases.
Based on the worldwide experience and the results of various studies, the protocol names one of the methods of treatment for COVID-19 - hydroxychloroquine (plaquenil). According to the protocol, the medicine is used only in laboratory-confirmed cases and is strictly prescribed by a physician. It is not permissible to use this medicine for prophylaxis of COVID-19, as its inappropriate use may cause serious harm to human health.
So far, Georgian doctors have been acting according to the Marseille protocol, the infectious department of Marseille University developed the treatment of COVID-19, according to which, the medication Plaquenil was used along with various antibiotics in the treatment of patients.
Marina Endeladze, head of the Boxing Division of the Infectious Diseases Hospital said that the drug was administered to the first patient infected with the Coronavirus, who is already recovering.
The Sichuan Provincial Government's gifted Georgia tests and equipment, worth $ 420,000, that detect COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. According to Archil Kalandia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the People's Republic of China, rapid tests to detect coronavirus are in Tbilisi.
According to the Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze, rapid tests can detect coronavirus at the first day of infection, whereas the tests that were used in Georgia before, can only detect COVID-19 in case of confirmed symptoms or 8-day of infection.
In addition to the gift, the Ministry of Health is going to buy more rapid tests. They have picked tests produced in China (Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology) and signed a contract as well. Buying a one-piece quick test costs $ 5.5. The document, obtained by Radio Liberty, states that 215,000 tests, without shipping, will cost the Georgian government $ 1 182 500.
As of March 25th, there are 73 people infected with COVID-19 in Georgian, 10 of them-recovered. 291 undergo supervision and 2956 are quarantined.
According to Paata Imnadze, Deputy Director of the Center for Disease Control and Public Health, the average age group of citizens with a new coronavirus in Georgia is 37 years - the oldest patient is 82 years old and the youngest is 2 years old.
