PM Gakharia thanks US for Lugar Centre

PM Gakharia said that the government understands the responsibility to create a system that will quickly detect cases of infection quickly treat citizens. Photo: Gov't of Georgia. 

Agenda.ge, 15 Jun 2020 - 19:17, Tbilisi,Georgia

At a meeting with the diplomatic corps in the Kakheti region of Georgia the Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia thanked the United States for its contribution in founding the Lugar Laboratory in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

We have the slightest increase in cases of infection today and we are ready for it. While the Lugar Laboratory of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) - for which we once again thank the United States, without them this laboratory could not be established in Georgia - did 100-150 PCR tests a day in the early days of the epidemic, today the NCDC can do 4,500 PCR tests daily. Our task is that by the end of the year we be able to perform 100,000 PCR tests in one day. This is necessary in order to open the economy more boldly", said Gakharia.

Gakharia said that the government understands the responsibility to create a system that will quickly detect cases of infection quickly treat citizens. 

The construction of the centre was launched in 2004 based on agreements signed between Georgia and US in 1997 and 2002.

It became operational in 2013 and is under the full control of the government of Georgia.

Russia, which has been demonising the center for many years and claims that the US funds 'dangerous experiments’ there, has been invited to the centre many times. However, Russia has consistently refused to take up the invitation.