Head epidemiologist: Georgia to reach peak of the 6th Covid-19 wave in February
Sixth coronavirus wave hits Georgia
Amiran Gamkrelidze, head of the Center for Disease Control, says the country is currently being hit with the sixth wave of Covid-19. According to him, the current rate of Omicron variant is around 45% – 30% in the regions and 60% in Tbilisi.
“The main thing is that it is growing and growing quite fast. Therefore, we should expect that the number of cases will increase”, Gamkrelidze said.
According to him, the infection rate will reach its peak in the first days of February with up to 60,000 cases daily.
“The main workload will still fall on the outpatient sector, but clinics are also under a threat of being overcrowded. Previously, we had a maximum of 6,500-7,000 cases at a time”, Gamkrelidze said.
According to the head of the Center for Disease Control, the isolation and quarantine periods for exposed and infected people will be reduced:
“One protocol has already been sent to the Ministry of Health, in particular, one concerning exposed persons. Today, another protocol concerned infected individuals will also be submitted. Today or tomorrow there will be a joint discussion with the relevant structures of the Ministry of Health and then it will be approved by the order of the Minister. I assure you that the quarantine and self-isolation terms for both the exposed and the infected persons will be reduced to a reasonable and enforceable deadline”, Gamkrelidze said.
Tamar Gabunia, the Deputy Minister of Health, also commented on the spread of the Omicron strain. According to her, the booster dose is especially efficient in preventing the spread of the new variant:
“Vaccination of medical personnel with booster doses is especially important and we are working to continue this process very actively”, Gabunia said.
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The new Omicron strain was first identified in November 2020 in South Africa. Various countries, including Georgia, have imposed restrictions on eight African countries. Any person, regardless of their nationality, who has a history of traveling to these countries in the last 14 days is subject to 14-days of self-isolation / quarantine upon entering Georgia.
The World Health Organization has declared a new strain ‘concerning’. Scientists say the new strain has already become the most common.
