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PM Gakharia: Georgia ready to respond to new coronavirus if need arises

Coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms mostly start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. Photo: afp.com.

 

Agenda.ge, 30 Jan 2020 - 16:08, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said that the healthcare system is ready to efficiently respond to the challenge of the coronavirus if it appears in Georgia.

Talking about steps taken by the Health Ministry, Gakharia called on various institutions to fully coordinate with the Ministry of Health.

We have already taken the first effective measure by suspending direct flights with China temporarily… the healthcare system is ready to respond to the new coronavirus if a case is revealed in Georgia”, said Gakharia.

Amiran Gamkrelidze, the Head of the National Centre for Disease Control, announced today that there have been no cases of the China-born coronavirus in Georgia, though ‘the country is seriously preparing’.

Not only the NCDC is obliged to respond to the challenge of coronavirus in Georgia. The Revenue and Customs Service, also the Ministries of Finance, Economy and Foreign Affairs are actively involved in this process... Passengers travelling from China to Georgia are being examined for a new strain of the coronavirus in Airports”, said Gamkrelidze.

Deputy Head of the NCDC, Paata Imnadze named Germany, Vietnam and Japan, where there have been cases of people catching the virus from others who have been to China.

The death toll from the China-born coronavirus has risen to 170. It has already reached Tibet, which means that the virus has reached every region of China, reports BBC.

Chinese health authorities said there were 7,783 confirmed cases in the country as of January 30, out of which 4,586 cases have been confirmed in Hubei Province of China, the epicentre of the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The virus, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms mostly start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.

The incubation period can range from two to 10 days.