Deputy Head of NCDC: ‘Omicron COVID variant may start circulating in a month in Georgia’
Head of the National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze said on December 12 that it is necessary to administer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots in order to prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant in the country. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The Deputy Head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Paata Imnadze said the Omicron Covid variant may start circulating in Georgia in about a month.
Imnadze also said the booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine is about 75% effective against the Omicron variant, while scientists have not yet done research on Chinese vaccines.
Recent studies on COVID-19 vaccines were published yesterday which show that one dose of Pfizer and two doses of AstraZeneca have about 71% protection against Omicron variant, while three doses of Pfizer vaccine are about 75% effective against the new variant of COVID-19”, Imnadze said.
Head of NCDC Amiran Gamkrelidze said on December 12 that it is necessary to administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in order to prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant in the country.
The Omicron variant has not been detected in Georgia so far.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the Omicron variant is likely to spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. The CDC also says that ‘current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalisations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant’.
Georgian health officials have said that it is 'necessary' to administer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots in order to prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant in the country.
Georgia has reported 3,278 new cases of coronavirus, 3,890 recoveries and 53 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Foreigners travelling in Georgia who are not registered in the COVID ‘green’ apps offered by the Georgian government will be able to have access to various facilities if they present proof they have been granted ‘green status’ by their own country. The ‘proof’ includes a QR code or a document issued by an official agency (of the country where a traveller is from) that an individual is completely vaccinated or a negative PCR test certificate (conducted within the last 72 hours).
COVID-19 ‘green’ passes went into effect in Georgia on December 1, obliging the public to present proof of vaccination, testing or recovery from the virus when entering certain establishments. There are two COVID apps - Georgia e-health and CovidPass Georgia - offered by the country to check the status of individuals regarding coronavirus.
Georgia has reported 3,123 new cases of coronavirus, 4,215 recoveries and 39 deaths in the last 24 hours. The weekly positivity rate for tested individuals stands at 6.86%.
Georgia has reported 2,979 new cases of coronavirus, 3,470 recoveries and 53 deaths in the past 24 hours. 38,624 remain infected with Covid-19 in Georgia47,937 tests were conducted around the country in the past 24 hours. 29,881 of the 47,937 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 18,056 were PCR tests.
Deputy head of Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control, Paata Imnadze, says that the new variant of coronavirus dubbed Omicron is ‘very likely’ to infect many, ‘particularly unvaccinated’ individuals, and there will be more of a need for hospital beds than at present.