NCDC head: 70% of population needs to be vaccinated by July to stop pandemic

The national vaccination plan will need to aim to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the end of July if health authorities in Georgia are to stop the pandemic in the country, Head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze said on Thursday.

Gamkrelidze noted the Coordination Council had discussed on the national vaccination plan for 2022 earlier during the day and stressed an intensified communication campaign and the programme of vaccination incentives as the keys to it.

The head of the health agency also reiterated figures indicating efficiency of vaccines and booster jabs, pointing to studies that have shown protection against infection, hospitalisation and mortality rising to over 80 percent in case of individuals who receive the booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine.

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Also today, deputy health minister Tamar Gabunia said Georgia’s Immunisation Council had discussed Covid-19 vaccination for children under 12 within the national vaccination plan. 

Gabunia said children needed jabs of different dosages, with talks with vaccine producers underway to facilitate the programme.