Coronavirus outbreak in Georgia, epicenter in the Adjara seaside region

For the past two weeks, the daily number of new coronavirus cases in Georgia have been record high. Half of the new cases were reported in the seaside region of Adjara.

Health Minister Yekaterina Tikaradze, her deputy Tamar Gabunia and head of the Center for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze went to Adjara to meet with healthcare workers

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Here are the most important data that was discussed at this meeting:

● 400 hospital beds mobilized in Adjara

● Tikaradze said 170 more beds will be added in the region over the next 48 hours

● At the moment, there are 345 cases in the region. 187 are asymptomatic and placed in special quarantine zones under the supervision of medical staff.

● Most patients (187) are in the Batumi Republican Hospital.

● Out of a dozen medical institutions in Batumi, only two are prepared to accept coronavirus patients, because only the republican hospital and the Medalfa clinic can perform CAT scans.

● The managers of most clinics complain about the shortage of resuscitators

● Some hospitals in the region are overcrowded

● Tikaradze says that a new treatment protocol has been adopted in the region – asymptomatic patients are placed in special quarantine zones under the constant supervision of medical staff.

● In light of the new outbreak, they discussed the possibility of treating patients at home. Gamkrelidze says that the primary healthcare system of the region should be prepared to provide this service.

Read more in the report by RFE/RL.