Doctors to observe patients given Pfizer, AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for 45 minutes in Georgia
If any side effects occur there will be at least three crews of medical workers on site to respond, but if the demand increases more crews will be available there. Photo: Ministry of Health.
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Individuals receiving either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19 will have to stay at clinics for 45 minutes, instead of 30 minutes to be observed if there are any adverse effects, announces deputy Health Minister of Georgia Tamar Gabunia.
If any side effects occur there will be at least three crews of medical workers on site to respond, but if the demand increases more crews will be available there, said Gabunia.
Earlier this month it was announced that vaccination will continue only in clinics with intensive care units (ICUs).
The decision was made after 27-year-old Georgian nurse Megi Bakradze died after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 18 and went into anaphylactic shock.
Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland said that in order to minimise the risks of anaphylaxis, vaccination should be done in an environment where there are doctors and all necessary medicines.
The second issue is that whoever gets the vaccine should be monitored for about 30 minutes, especially those who have a history of anaphylaxis. I think it is important to send a message that these are very rare cases and we try to minimise such cases by ensuring that people are monitored after vaccination, that medicines are available in the medical facilities for those who have an allergic reaction. And it is necessary to convince people that the benefits of vaccines outweigh their risks", she said.
Georgia received 43,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 13, while the vaccination of health workers started on March 15 throughout the country.
So far 3,818 health workers have been innoculated against Covid-19 in the country with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Starting tomorrow, people over 65 years of age will be allowed to register for the Covid-19 vaccination in the country.
Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland has commented on the death of a nurse after receiving AstraZeneca vaccination in Georgia, saying that in order to minimise the risks of anaphylaxis, vaccination should be done in an environment where there are doctors and all necessary medicines.
The State Regulation Agency for Medical Activities will publish an interim report on the death of a 27-year-old nurse from Akhaltsikhe this week, announces Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze. She said that at the time of the vaccination, the nurse was in a medical facility which had an intensive care unit where she received care, however to no effect.
A total of 29,500 doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Georgia and citizens eligible to be vaccinated at this point will be able to choose which one to take against the coronavirus, announces Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tsikaradze.
Following the death of 27-year-old Georgian nurse Megi Bakradze earlier today after she received the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 18 and went into anaphylactic shock, Georgian health officials have decided that vaccination will continue only in clinics with intensive care units (ICUs).
Vaccination with Pfizer will be allowed in four clinics of Tbilisi: Republican Hospital, Bokeria clinic, Caucasus Medical Centre and Amtel hospital, in two clinics of Kutaisi and in Batumi Republican Hospital in the Adjara region. Individuals receiving either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19 will have to stay at clinics for 45 minutes, instead of 30 minutes to be observed if there are any adverse effects.
Georgia has reported 399 new cases of coronavirus, 356 recoveries and 10 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Georgia will likely receive Chinese coronavirus vaccines Sinopharm next month, announces deputy Health Minister of Georgia Tamar Gabunia. She said that in addition, negotiations are underway to receive additional doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
Georgia has reported 419 new cases of coronavirus, 307 recoveries and six deaths in the past 24 hours.29,341 tests have been conducted around the country in the past 24 hours. 18,964 of the 29,341 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 10,377 were PCR tests. The country has had 279,446 cases of coronavirus since February 26, 2020. 271,585 of the 279,446 patients have recovered, while 3,738 have died of the virus.
Mass Covid-19 immunisation is expected to start in Georgia in July, announces Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze, adding that it does not mean that getting the vaccination against coronavirus will become mandatory.
Medical workers and individuals above 65 residing in Georgia’s Russia-occupied Tskhinvali and Abkhazia regions will be able to undergo Covid-19 vaccination on Tbilisi-controlled territory, Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, Tea Akhvlediani said earlier today.
An anti-vaxxer has beaten up his wife after she received a Covid-19 vaccine, executive director of women rights organisation Sapari, Baia Pataraia, wrote on her Facebook page.
Individuals over 16 will be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Georgia following the Georgian health minister's order, Interpressnews agency reports.