Throughout the week, coronavirus cases in Georgia decreas,ed slightly, with capital Tbilisi and the biggest regions by population Imereti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, still remaining hot spots in terms of the virus spread.
The daily test-positivity rate now stands at 3.8%, while it was 4.39% the past 14 days.
Based on a detailed analysis of the epidemiological situation, the Interagency Coordination Council at the beginning of the week decided to alleviate two restrictions: reduce the nightly curfew hours and let it start at 23:00 (instead of the previous 21:00), and allow eateries to host customers in open spaces on weekends.
Georgia reported 504 coronavirus cases, 2038 recoveries, and 27 deaths on Monday, with a total of 11,665 tests conducted. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 263 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 53 cases and the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region with 50 cases.
On Tuesday, amid the expanded testing, (29,685 tests in total) the numbers grew significantly and the country recorded 1562 coronavirus cases, 1490 recoveries, and 30 deaths. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 893 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 136 cases and the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region with 123 cases.
The country recorded 1160 coronavirus cases, 1302 recoveries, and 20 deaths on Wednesday, as a result of 29, 209 tests conducted. Tbilisi recorded 588 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 113 cases and the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region with 110 cases.
On Thursday, 1104 coronavirus cases, 1603 recoveries, and 21 deaths were reported in the country. 29,032 tests were conducted in the 24 hours. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 607 Covid-19 cases within the last 24 hours, followed by the Samegrelo Zemo Svaneti region with 109 cases and the Imereti region with 103 cases.
Presently, the total number of confirmed cases in Georgia since February 2020, has reached 334,705, among which 315,254 people recovered and 4540 died. There are 14,911 active cases of infection in the country.
Based on the data for May 20, 101,415 people had received the coronavirus vaccine in Georgia.
Georgia kicks off rollout of second Sinopharm jabs
Effective May 20, Georgian citizens will be able to register for the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) reported on Thursday.
Second dose COVID vaccine booking is available at the web platform booking.moh.gov.ge. and by phone 1522.
Also effective Thursday, on the special website Provax.ge, citizens can see the number of free places for vaccination.
The website Provax.ge was created by the government to raise awareness about vaccinations. Interested persons can get answers to questions about vaccination from Provax.ge. Cognitive videos, statistics on the vaccination process and the national plan for the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia are also available on the website.
Further, vaccination with “Sinovac” will start in Georgia next week, Tamar Gabunia, Deputy Minister of Health of Georgia, announced.
“The vaccination with Sinovac will start next week and will cover the age group above 18 years,” Gabunia said.
The Deputy Minister noted the exact date will be announced by the National Center for Disease Control.
At the recent government sitting, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili spoke about successful vaccine negotiations, notably the import of additional Pfizer vaccines this summer, expected in June-July.
We are negotiating a million doses. I was personally involved in the process and held a number of phone conversations with the President of Pfizer,” he stated.
In addition, negotiations are progressing with Sinopharm and Sinovac pharmaceuticals on the supply of additional doses. The same applies to Moderna and Novavax on the procurement of new vaccines.
By Ana Dumbadze
