US Embassy: Lugar Center Supports Georgian NCDC on COVID-19 Response

The US Embassy in Georgia has published information about the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, saying that it supports Georgian NCDC on COVID-19 response.

The information published on the official website of the US Embassy in Georgia reads that the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research is home to the Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) and the US Army Medical Research Directorate-Georgia (USAMRD-G), an overseas infectious disease laboratory of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). Though the US government funded the construction of the Lugar Center with $150 million (overseen by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency), the facility is owned and operated by the Georgian government.

"As leaders in the government of Georgia’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the NCDC has leveraged a wide variety of capabilities, including appropriate and judicious use of limited testing resources, as well as proactive planning and disease monitoring, reliable public messaging and coordinated communication with senior Ministry of Health officials, to inform policy decisions. The US partners at the Embassy, within the Department of Defense, and at the US Centers for Disease Control have been key enablers for these successes as long term investments in infrastructure, technology, partnership building, training /capability enhancement, and best practice adherence have paid enormous dividends throughout this epidemic," the publication says. 

It further emphasizes that "The NCDC’s processing time, and staff education and expertise are equivalent to Western European and US facilities."

"The Lugar Center, which was constructed with US government funding and is owned and operated by the Georgian government, was established to identify and address disease outbreaks just like COVID-19. We are gratified that more Georgians are learning about the important work that is being performed there; we look forward to continuing that work and continuing to build the cooperation between the United States and Georgia in addressing emerging and endemic infectious disease threats in the region," the US Embassy wrote on its official Facebook page.