“We do not yet know whether Omicron will be heavier or more dangerous than the Delta strain. It will take several weeks to monitor,” Tengiz Tsertsvadze, the Head of Infectious Diseases and AIDS Center, told Channel One.
He noted that preliminary data shows that the Omicron is likely to spread faster than the Delta strain. Most likely, it does not cause more severe disease or more death than the Delta strain. Tsertsvadze added that this is very important, as the ability to cause serious illness and a higher mortality rate are far bigger issues than easier transmission and rapid spread.
“We have to put up with the fact that if this strain spreads everywhere, it will spread to Georgia as well. We just need to know that this is not necessarily a tragedy. The universal means of protection is, first of all, a face mask, which 100% protects against both Delta, the new, and any strain,” Tsertsvadze said.
He stated until there is a cure, vaccination alone will not end the pandemic, especially because an entire population cannot be vaccinated in any country. At the same time, the vaccine does not protect to 100%. Therefore, vaccines and new medications should be used in combination.
By Ketevan Skhirtladze
