2020-10-23

The Inter-Agency Coordination Council led by Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia addresses citizens with a strict recommendation to also wear facemasks in open spaces of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi. Use of facemasks especially in those spaces that make it impossible to keep social distance will be supervised by relevant agencies. As noted at the Inter-Agency Coordination Council Meeting today, in the conditions of 90% compliance with the established rules, which inter alia includes a proper use of facemasks, community transfer rate will decline by 70%. Hence, the Inter-Agency Coordination Council once again calls upon the citizens to adhere to the established regulations, help in the prevention of the viral spread, protect their health and safeguard others.

The Inter-Agency Coordination Council also considered faults related to the hampered operation of the hotline and those witnessed in the primary healthcare, along with means of their gradual resolution.

It was noted that every relevant agency, acting under the coordination of the Task Force, is engaged in the process of timely resolution of identified faults. Hence, the situation will be improving at a greater extent.

Current situation observed at healthcare facilities was also reviewed at the Inter-Agency Coordination Council Meeting today. It was noted that the Ministry of Health continues its active work toward mobilising additional hospital beds. According to Ekaterine Tikaradze, Minister of Health, over 400 hospital beds will be mobilised in addition to the existing ones throughout the country. By considering the increasing number of infected individuals, hospital beds will be allocated in respective regions. In addition, Fever Centres will be added to healthcare facilities of Sagarejo, Tetritskaro, Kutaisi, Akhaltsikhe and Lanchkhuti.

It was once again stressed at the Inter-Agency Coordination Council Meeting today that a new model of clinical management enables the required number of hospital beds to be made available in the country, as light and asymptomatic patients will be treated at home or at so-called COVID Hotels under the supervision of their family doctors. Infected individuals with acute health conditions will remain at hospitals. At the same time and on the grounds of recommendations issued by epidemiologists, Council decided to allow for the use of express tests based on antigens for the diagnostics of COVID-19 with a protocol similar to PCR test from now on. It is administered in the same manner and is currently recognised in the recent recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA).

The Inter-Agency Coordination Council discussed cases of COVID-19 identified in the process of studies at classrooms and auditoriums. According to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia, decisions are made efficiently in each individual case and on the grounds of consultations rendered by epidemiologists. At the same time, Inter-Agency Coordination Council considered that as some polling stations are placed at school buildings, probably they will be closed for a week to prepare for elections and further actions starting from October 28, 2020. Respective schools will temporarily shift towards distance learning. This decision will apply to higher education institutions and kindergartens as well.

As of today, 24 562 lab-test positive cases of COVID-19 are identified in the country, out of which 9 751 individuals recovered. 41 citizens of Georgia have been flown from overseas for medical treatment. In total 183 died.

Currently, 4 408 individuals are placed in quarantine, 1 848 persons are admitted to COVID Hotels, while 3 155 individuals are placed under medical supervision at hospitals of the country.

The Inter-Agency Coordination Council led by the Prime Minister of Georgia, actively engages the Parliament of Georgia chaired by Archil Talakvadze and Administration of the President of Georgia.

Press Service of the Government Administration