BBC: ‘coronavirus – how ‘three musketeers’ helped Georgia fight virus’
Demytrie notes that despite the removal of some restrictions, the head of the NCDC remains cautious, citing his words that if Georgia looks like an island and an oasis between the surrounding countries, it does not give Georgian infection specialists the right to let down their guard for even a minute. Photo: Mirian Meladze/1TV.
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A group of public scientists, dubbed the three musketeers, are being praised for steering Georgia’s successful response to the pandemic, reads an article published on BBC on July 6.
The article written by Rayhan Demytrie reads that the trio includes the head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Amiran Gamkrelidze, ‘the man in charge of Lugar Laboratory, Paata Imnadze’ and the main virologist, Tengiz Tsertsvadze, who is head of Tbilisi’s infectious diseases, Aids and Immunology Research Centre, and that they have become widely respected for their decision-making.
On June 30, the head of the NCDC, Amiran Gamkrelidze, detailed Georgia’s success.
By the gold standard we have made almost 30,000 PCR tests per million of our population. The recovery rate has risen to 86 per cent, but unfortunately, we had 15 deaths which represents 1.6 per cent. Compared to global rates it is very low”, said Gamkrelidze.
Demytrie mentions that Georgia’s first COVID-19 case was registered at the end of February and the government’s response was swift. All schools, universities and non-essential businesses were closed, public transport was suspended, a state of emergency was introduced.
During Orthodox Easter, Georgia’s most important religious holiday, the authorities banned private transport and closed cemeteries…The big test came on Easter Sunday when there were fears that thousands would attend midnight mass services in churches across the country. The country’s powerful Orthodox Church went ahead with ceremonies and refused to stop using common spoons for holy communion, but most people followed the advice of the scientists and stayed home”, Demytrie writes.
Demytrie notes that despite the removal of some restrictions, the head of the NCDC remains cautious, citing his words that if Georgia looks like an island and an oasis between the surrounding countries, it does not give Georgian infection specialists the right to let down their guard for even a minute.
Read the full article here.