World Bank to allocate additional $34.5 million for vaccination process in Georgia
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Wednesday, June 9
World Bank Executive Board has made a decision to allocate additional funding of $34.5 million to Georgia. The main objectives of the funding are to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, strengthen the Georgian vaccination system to facilitate effective use of the vaccine, and strengthen COVID-19 response measures.
Within a week, the Ministry of Health of Georgia should develop a plan for organizing intensive vaccination and mass vaccination centers. According to the government administration, more than 3.6 million vaccines will be mobilized in Georgia by the end of the year, so active preparations for mass vaccination should begin.
Amiran Gamkrelidze, Director of the National Center for Disease Control, said at a briefing after a meeting of the Coordination Council that at least 3-4 large vaccine centers will be created in Tbilisi and each in Kutaisi, Batumi and Rustavi. The negotiation process is underway with the exhibition center Expo-Georgia in Tbilisi, to use its pavilions, as well as with the healing center, several sports facilities, and malls.
According to Gamkrelidze, large dispatch centers will work with both pre-booking and ‘live queuing’ systems, since especially in rural areas, citizens have difficulty registering online. It is also planned to use mobile brigades in the villages far from the municipal centers.
Currently vaccination against COVID-19 is being carried out in 132 medical institutions, with 250 brigades. The number of brigades should increase to 400 by the end of June. 6,000 vaccines a day are needed to fully utilize the stock of vaccines available by July. Currently, an average of 5,000 vaccinations is given.
NCDC head says in order to reach the target, it will be necessary to do 20-25 thousand vaccinations a day from July. According to him, from July to October, Georgia expects more than 3 million doses of vaccines and the country will be able to launch mass vaccinations, so work is underway on regional readiness.
After the coordination meeting, the Deputy Minister of Health, Tamar Gabunia, said that by the end of June, 43,000 doses of AstraZeneca and half a million Sinopharm will enter the country.
As for other vaccines, including Pfizer, the first phase of negotiations has been completed, and it will be clear in the near future when the country will receive the first doses of the vaccine.
178,738 vaccinations have been given in Georgia since March 15.
The World Bank also allocated $80 million to Georgia in March 2020 for the Rapid Response Project against COVID-19.
According to the Georgian government, the project has provided the Ministry of Health with vital medical equipment - more than 4 million PCR and antigen-based rapid tests and DNA extraction kits, more than 1 000 oxygen therapy equipment, resuscitation, and emergency room beds as well as artificial respiration equipment and 11 million personal protective equipment. The project has played an important role in developing the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of healthcare facilities by equipping them with modern technologies.
This project funded a social assistance package under which 80,000 families received monthly assistance; additional financial assistance was provided to about 25,000 families with more than 3 children. 370,000 self-employed individuals received one-time assistance, and more than 160,000 received temporary unemployment assistance.
