Coronavirus Update: Pfizer Emerges as Most In-Demand Vaccine in Georgia
Since March 30, citizens of Georgia have been able to get vaccinated with Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus, and already Minister of Health Ekaterine Tikaradze has noted that Pfizer “has emerged as the trendiest vaccine in Georgia.” The country received 29,500 doses, intended for 14,000 people, on March 25.
Currently, it is available in six multi-profile clinics in three big Georgian cities, Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi. The appointments for Pfizer vaccines are fully booked in four clinics in Tbilisi until April 14, while in Batumi and Kutaisi, spots are still available for booking.
Reportedly, Georgia might receive 1 million more doses of Pfizer, for which consultations with Pfizer and other manufacturers are underway; however, the exact date for this is unknown at this stage.
As of April 1, 7822 people have had a jab against COVID-19 in Georgia, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health reports, although it has not published exactly how many people have been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and how many with AstraZeneca. The agency also did not specify how many of the vaccinated are representatives of the medical field and how many citizens over 65 years of age.
Georgia’s Minister of Health announced that people over the age of 55, on dialysis and citizens who had organ transplants, will also be able to take participate in the vaccination process from April 5.
“The Council has made an additional decision that we will add citizens over the age of 55 to the vaccination group. This is due to the fact that we have observed a great deal of interest and good activity among our citizens who are over 65 years of age. There was also a lot of demand among the group which ranged in age from 55 to 65,” Tikaradze said.
The Minister notes that dialysis patients are one of the highest risk groups, and noted that they will be vaccinated on the spot in the facilities where they undergo dialysis therapy.
In addition to Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the country expects the delivery of the vaccine from China by the end of the week.
“Next week we will have an additional vaccine from China, which is also recognized by the strict regulator of Hungary. 100,000 doses will be imported. When the vaccine is delivered, we will provide additional information,” Tikaradze told reporters.
The daily numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and virus-related deaths, have increased this week, leading to warnings that the introduction of target restrictions may again be necessary in some regions of the country, in particular, in the western Guria and Adjara regions. They urge the population to strictly follow the current safety regulations, wear face masks, and maintain a two-meter distance from others.
During the week, the country recorded 600-700 new cases and up to 10-15 deaths on average. The lowest numbers in new cases were reported on Monday (171 coronavirus cases, 382 recoveries, and 14 deaths), however, this was mainly conditioned by the fact that relatively fewer tests (14,298) are conducted on the weekends.
Georgia reported 499 coronavirus cases, 437 recoveries, and 7 deaths on Thursday. The capital Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 264 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 65 cases and the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region with 45 cases.
The total number of confirmed cases in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic has now reached 282,260. Among them, 273,604 people have recovered and 3785 have died.
The daily test-positivity rate stands at 1.74%, while it was 1.75% in the past 14 days.
Currently, there are 4871 active cases of infection in Georgia.
By Ana Dumbadze
