Covid-19 vaccination with Sinovac to start in Georgia next week
The Chinese government gifted Georgia 100,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine in April. Photo: 1tv.ge.
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Covid-19 vaccination with the Chinese Sinovac vaccine will start in Georgia next week, Head of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze said today.
Gamkrelidze stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) approval for Sinovac is still pending, but the vaccine has a very good initial assessment of WHO expert advisory committee.
We [epidemiologists, medical workers] discussed the issue at the last Immunisation Council meeting. Sinovac is the second Chinese vaccine introduced in the international arena. China donated 100,000 doses of the vaccine to Georgia. In general. Over 100 million people in China and various countries have been vaccinated with Sinovac”, said Gamkrelidze.
WHO recommends the Sinovac vaccine for adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks.
Unlike Sinopharm, the second dose of Sinovac could be administered sooner, with an interval of 14 to 28 days.
Georgian Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia says that if the public will not observe coronavirus recommendations and rules the government will have to reimpose restrictions. She stated that coronavirus cases are surging in Georgia and that the country ‘is technically ready’ for a third wave of coronavirus. However, Gabunia said that ‘doctors are very much stressed and tired’ and it will be ‘hard for them’ to serve thousands of Covid-19 patients on a daily basis.
The Chinese government will gift Georgia 100,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine in April, head of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze stated earlier today. Georgia received 100,000 doses of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine last week and the country has plans to purchase the Chinese Sinovac vaccine in April, Gamkrelidze said. He stated that both vaccines are likely to be approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in mid-April and Georgia will launch vaccination only after.
Georgia has reported 776 new cases of coronavirus, 1,329 recoveries and 16 deaths in the past 24 hours. 31,982 tests have been conducted around the country on the weekend. 20,394 of the 31,982 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 11,588 were PCR tests. The country has had 326,441 cases of coronavirus since February 26, 2020. 5.56 per cent of tested individuals had Covid-19 in the past 14 days.
Georgia will receive 100,000 doses of China's Sinovac vaccine today, announces Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia. She said that the use of Sinovac will start after it receives authorisation from the World Health Organisation, however, if this process is delayed, Georgian health officials will discuss how the vaccine might be used in the country.
Georgia has reported 1,390 new cases of coronavirus, 1,070 recoveries and 18 deaths in the past 24 hours. In total, 38,468 tests have been conducted around the country of which 27,651 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 10,817 were PCR tests. Since February 26, 2020 Georgia has had 327,831 cases of coronavirus, 307,334 recoveries and 4,397 deaths.
Georgia has reported 1,576 new cases of Covid-19 after conducting a total of 44,278 tests over the last 24 hours. Out of the 1,576 new cases 868 were reported in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.