1200 omicron cases confirmed in Georgia, Govt reduces Covid isolation period
By Khatia Bzhalava
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
More than 1200 Omicron cases have been confirmed in Georgia, out of which only 14 patients required hospitalization, said Tamar Gabunia, Deputy Health Minister. According to her, the majority of those infected with Omicron were vaccinated and they also had a booster shot.
As the Head of the National Center for Diseases Control and Public Health (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze said, the Omicron version is characterized by rapid transmission and tripled reinfection rate, noting that out of 1254 confirmed omicron cases, approximately 17-20% are re-infected. According to him, 50% of positive cases in the country are Omicron strain and the highest number, 65%, is recorded in Tbilisi. Gamkrelidze stated that the cases of the new strain are relatively mild compared to Delta, however, it should not be a reason to loosen up as it can also lead to complications. He called on the population to take the third booster dose, because studies show that the booster works effectively against the Omicron strain as well.
Changes to the isolation and quarantine periods come into force in the country starting this week, according to which, the isolation and quarantine periods will be different for vaccinated, unvaccinated, and previously COVID-infected persons. Quarantine period time for asymptomatic and mild patients has been reduced to 8 days, while for moderate and severe cases, the term is at least 10 days. In both cases, wearing a mask for the next 5 days after isolation is strongly recommended. As for the contacts, double-jabbed and boosted people do not need to be quarantined in the 90 days after their second or third dose, while COVID-19 recovered patients will be required to be isolated for 10 days. As for unvaccinated people, it remains a recommendation to stay in quarantine for 8 days after contact and to use a mask for 9-12 days. Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili does not rule out further reducing the Covid self-isolation and quarantine period from eight to five days, citing the US government’s recent decision over cutting the isolation period from ten to five days.
Georgia reported 7 521 coronavirus cases, 3 160 recoveries, and 31 deaths on Tuesday. The total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country amounts to 1,006,864. According to the Head of NCDC, it is expected to enter another peak of the pandemic at the end of February with 10-15 thousand positive cases per day, however, the mortality rate is not expected to rise dramatically.
