Georgia won’t buy, receive AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine
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Georgia will neither buy, nor receive from donors the British AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine ‘as the demand for the vaccine is very low in the country,’ head of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze stated earlier today.
He said that currently there are 15,000 doses of the vaccine in the country and ‘we fear some of them may spoil as there is no demand.’
AstraZeneca was the first coronavirus vaccine Georgia received in March 2021.
However, the death of a nurse in eastern Georgia after receiving the vaccine the same month hampered the vaccination process.
Gamkrelidze says that unlike previous months the vaccination rate has dropped in the country from daily 20,000 vaccinated individuals to around 7,000.
Gamkrelidze says that epidemiological situation may get worse due to a low rate of vaccination.
He has warned that the low rate of vaccination will make the epidemiological situation severe again, especially when season flus have already emerged.
1,853,296 individuals have been vaccinated in the 3.7 million country since March 2021, of which 856,609 have been completely vaccinated.
According to the recent decision of the government of Georgia, unvaccinated school employees will be tested for coronavirus every seven days, while vaccinated staff will be tested once every two weeks.
Pregnant women will be tested for coronavirus free of charge via PCR.
Georgians are able to receive Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine.
Georgian health officials have decided to continue vaccination with AstraZeneca only for individuals over 55 years of age following statements from the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation that say that unusual blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19.
The 43,200 doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine has arrived in Georgia this morning. UNICEF, which has supported the Government of Georgia in procuring the Covid-19 vaccines, has announced that the plane has already landed at Tbilisi International Airport.
Individuals over 45 years of age will be able to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia announced today.
Georgia has received 43,200 doses of the British AstraZeneca vaccine earlier today via the Covax international platform.
Georgian citizens vaccinated with either the Chinese Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccine can now receive an additional shot of the Pfizer vaccine for travel purposes starting today. If an individual wants to go abroad for travel, study or medical treatment, at least 28 days must have passed since receiving the second shot of the Chinese vaccine to get the Pfizer jab, the new decree of the Georgian Health Ministry reads.
AstraZeneca vaccination will come to an end in Georgia on October 31 when its date expires. Head of Georgia's National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze told the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that due to the low demand no additional doses are expected to arrive. Therefore, those who have received the first shot of AstraZeneca will receive Pfizer or any other shots next.
“About 15,000 doses of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine have expired in Georgia”, Head of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze said earlier today.