Seroprevalence study in Tbilisi shows 6 of 1,000 residents have coronavirus antibodies
The National Disease Control Centre has been conducting similar research in Telavi, Georgia’s eastern province of Kakheti and in eastern Bolnisi municipality since May 22. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Tweet 
Share
Six of 1,000 Tbilisi residents were found to have coronavirus antibodies, head of Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital Tengiz Tsertsvadze said earlier today.
Tsertsvadze said rapid antibody tests were used for a seroprevalence study designed to estimate the number of individuals that have antibodies to the virus.
This doesn’t mean that six individuals were found to be infected with the coronavirus. it means that they have antibodies to the virus. Similar studies were conducted in New York (21%) and Los Angeles (4%)”, said Tsertsvadze.
The National Disease Control Centre has been conducting similar research in Telavi, Georgia’s eastern province of Kakheti and in eastern Bolnisi municipality since May 22.
No cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the Kakheti region so far, thus another goal of the study is to determine whether residents of the region have been infected with the virus in recent months
Rapid coronavirus tests will be used for people in high risk groups and who display symptoms after testing is carried out in Marneuli and Bolnisi, two regions in eastern Georgia under lockdown.
Georgia will test locals of Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities in eastern Georgia with 1,000 rapid coronavirus tests, which provide results within an hour and a half. Eventually the country will have a total of 200,000 rapid coronavirus tests.
The Georgian Ministry of Health has bought 30,000 rapid coronavirus tests with the help of the World Bank’s 'Emergency COVID-19 Response Project.' The antibody tests are made by a Chinese company which has a license from the Chinese government and supplies tests to the USA and other European countries.
3,271 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 in Georgia (as of April 7) since January 2020, while the country has had 208 cases so far. A handful of individuals have been tested several times and 3,457 tests have been used in total. In all the cases, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, a gold-standard in epidemiology for detecting viral matter in blood samples, was used. The method takes just several hours to give results, but is highly accurate.
10 out of 1,068 residents have coronavirus antibodies
A total of 1,068 residents of the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi took part in a research conducted by Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital and 10 residents were found to have coronavirus antibodies, reports Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital.
All individuals who will enter Georgia will have to spend two weeks in quarantine.Georgia is maintaining the measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus, head of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze stated earlier today.
A seroprevalence study will be conducted in four municipalities in Georgia to examine the presence of Covid-19 in the country and determine whether residents of the municipalities have been infected with the virus in recent months but went below the radar of the healthcare system or were asymptomatic.