Preventive Measures Against Coronavirus Launch in Tbilisi

Emergency Coordination and Emergency Center crews joined the team of epidemiologists at Tbilisi International Airport to begin taking preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus.

Medics check passengers via both, remote thermometers and personal interviews. They also provide information on the symptomatic characteristics of the virus. In terms of the potential spread of the virus, Georgia is among the countries at low risk.

Public health specialists are scheduled to begin paying visits to the areas inhabited by Chinese citizens, says to the director of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Amiran Gamkrelidze. No suspicious symptoms have been reported in Georgia so far, he adds.

"We have been taking preventive measures in Georgia for several days to prevent the introduction of the infection, as we have intensive traffic with China. If there is a suspicious case, the person will be quickly evacuated to one of four infectious hospitals located in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and Zugdidi”, Gamkrelidze says.

A newly identified virus originating in Wuhan, China, can infect both animals and people; it primarily infects and spreads through the respiratory tract. As foreign media reports, an outbreak of the mysterious pneumonia-like virus in China has killed nine people and sickened more than 400 so far. The disease has spread beyond mainland China to Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. 

WHO continues to monitor the situation thoroughly and- together with its partners- is ready to provide technical support to China to investigate and respond to the outbreak. “In the coming weeks, more comprehensive information is required to understand the current status and epidemiology of the outbreak, and the clinical picture. Further investigations are also required to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection and countermeasures implemented”, reads the statement by WHO.