Epidemiological situation deteriorates in Georgia as Delta variant ‘spreads rapidly’

By Khatia Bzhalava

Thursday, July 22

“If the situation continues to worsen, the National Center for Disease Control will appeal to the Coordination Council with a recommendation to further tighten regulations,” the Head of NCDC Amiran Gamkrelidze said.

According to Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, the country cannot endure another lockdown.

Every indicator defining the epidemiological situation in the country has worsened, Head of the National Center for Diseases Control and Public Health (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze has reported. According to him, Georgia has become a ‘red zone’. “The situation is alarming, and relevant measures must be taken”, he stated.

Concerning the deteriorated epidemiological situation, Gamkrelidze stressed the importance of face masks, social distancing and vaccination. He announced yesterday that wearing facemasks might become mandatory again in groups of 5-6 people. As Gamkrelidze stated, if the situation deteriorates, additional measures will be reintroduced.

The head of NCDC especially stressed the importance of getting a coronavirus jab. The country has a variety of available vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. According to Gamkrelidze, Georgia will soon obtain a sufficient amount of Pfizer as well.

The government of Georgia plans to vaccinate 60% of the population by the end of the year. So far, 374,685 persons have received at least a single dose of coronavirus vaccine and 113,895 people are fully vaccinated, which amounts to only 3% of the country’s population.

Gamkrelidze also stressed that 30-40% of Delta variants have been confirmed in the country and this figure is ‘increasing rapidly.’ On Tuesday, a newborn died of Delta variant in Tbilisi. The newborn was transferred from Russia-occupied Abkhazia to Tsitsishvili Children’s Clinic with respiratory complications.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili stated that the country would ‘not endure another lockdown.’

“If we are forced to resort to lockdown again, people will lose jobs, and it will be unbearable…Next, the country will be forced to obtain an additional loan, a heavy burden on the shoulders of our citizens and the country, which will make things extremely difficult,” he stressed.

On Wednesday, Georgia reported 2, 415 new cases of Covid-19, 943 recoveries and 26 deaths. Since the detection of the first Covid case in February, Georgia reported 393,360 cases, 368,073 recoveries and 5,618 deaths. Currently, 19,643 people remain infected. The daily test-positivity rate, which should not exceed 4%, stands at 6,42 %.