Recently, following the introduction and extension of various restrictions, the epidemiological situation in Georgia has seen a slight improvement once more. The decrease in new cases reported daily is notable; however, the death toll remains relatively high, with 70-80 fatalities reported daily.
Georgian capital Tbilisi, along with Adjara and the Imereti region, remain hotspots in terms of the virus spread.
Georgia reported 4778 coronavirus cases, 4753 recoveries, and 79 deaths on August 31, with 43,741 tests conducted. Georgian capital Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 1888 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 608 cases, and the Adjara region with 423 cases.
The country recorded 3886 coronavirus cases, 4103 recoveries, and 74 deaths on September 1, with 52,162 tests conducted, and 3212 new cases, 5017 recoveries, and 81 deaths the following day.
The daily test-positivity rate now stands at 7.94%, while it was 9.85% over the past 14 days.
Georgia’s total case tally reached 556,909 among which 502,534 people recovered and 7563 died.
As of the beginning of September, 1,235.386 Georgian people have received the Covid-19 vaccine and 421,785 are fully vaccinated.
The Restrictions
Considering the epidemiological situation, this week the government announced the following decisions regarding safety regulations:
• The restriction on municipal public transport will continue until September 13;
• The education process in schools and universities will be conducted remotely from September 15 to October 4;
• Kindergartens will not start functioning until at least October 4. This applies to both private and public gardens.
The Vaccine
To stimulate the vaccination process, vaccination centers have been opened in specially outfitted buses in Tbilisi, where one can get vaccinated without prior registration.
Citizens can receive a vaccine at the following locations: Station Square; Saburtalo – City Mall (Vaja-Pshavela Avenue # 70); Gldani – City Mall – (I. Vekua # 1, open parking area, Mukhiani side); Samgori – East Point – (Alexander Tvalchrelidze Street); Samgori – (Orkhevi, the area around the stadium); Avchala – (23 Libani St, near the police); Mukhiani – (N. Dumbadze Avenue, near the police, building N5).
The Global Situation
The pandemic situation worldwide is still a concern, mostly due to the rapid spread of the Delta strain.
UK Covid deaths topped 200 daily for first time since March. About 94% of people in the UK have coronavirus antibodies, either through vaccination or past infection, new data suggests.
Measures to limit the spread of coronavirus, such as masks and social distancing, have been lifted in England, but regular testing remains.
“There are mixed emotions as pupils return to schools across England,” reports the BBC. “However, places with rising case numbers, such as the South West, require school and college pupils to wear masks in communal areas for the next five weeks.”
The Delta-driven COVID-19 surge made August one of the worst months of the entire pandemic globally.
The US reported almost 4.22 million new coronavirus cases in August alone, making it the fourth-worst month for infections, with 26,805 Americans dying of COVID-19, more than three times the July total. The last week of August was deadlier than all of July.
At the latest pace, an American is dying of COVID every 1 minute, 5 seconds. Every minute, another 111 Americans are testing positive, nearly two per second. Compared to the last week of July, there were 105% more cases and 268% more deaths in the final week of August.
Germany is now suffering its 4th coronavirus wave. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute made the assessment as the country grapples with rising positive test results. This time, younger age groups are more affected, DW reported.
Rising infection numbers come as the more contagious Delta variant becomes the dominant form of the virus, making up 99% of all cases in Germany, RKI wrote, adding that there has been an increase in the incidence rate in Germany since the beginning of July, particularly noticeable people between the ages of 10 and 49.
Heading into that fourth wave, 63.7% of the German population have received at least one vaccination dose, while 58.2% are fully immunized.
India has also witnessed a surge in daily coronavirus cases and deaths. According to the union health ministry, in 24 hours, India reported 47,092 new Covid-19 cases, the biggest single-day rise in two months, and 509 deaths. The country saw 41,965 new cases and 460 deaths on Wednesday alone. With this, India’s total Covid-19 caseload has surged to 3,28,57,937 and 4,39,529 deaths. Currently, there are a total of 3,89,583 active cases.
Georgia’s neighboring Russia also faces a renewed coronavirus surge, health officials warn. Though Russia’s Covid-19 infections have stabilized around 18,000 per day in recent weeks, the country is still grappling with a record-shattering third wave, also driven by the Delta variant, that started in early June. Despite the country recording several all-time high Covid-19 death tolls, the most recent on August 26, authorities have continued to lift restrictions.
Health officials linked the potential spike to Russians returning to work and school following the summer holidays.
By Ana Dumbadze
