Health Minister, US Ambassador discourse on epidemiological situation

15:53, 05.11.2021

Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze and US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan met on Friday to discuss the current epidemiological situation and expansion of the immunization program in Georgia.

According to the US Ambassador, she is concerned about high rates of COVID in Georgia and is watching carefully to see what could be done to bring those case levels down, but more importantly, to bring the vaccination rate up.

“I arrived two years ago when COVID was just being understood, and we have learned so much over the past two years. The main thing we’ve learned is that this vaccine will save lives. It is the only way really to protect your loved ones against this virus. Many people in Georgia have had COVID or have known people who’ve been seriously ill, hospitalized, or even died from COVID. I think that over 10,000 Georgians have now died from COVID. This is a serious disease, but through science, we have the answer, and that is the vaccine,” US Ambassador claimed.

Kelly Degnan said the Health Ministry and the US Embassy continue working together to help Georgians get accurate information about why vaccination is safe and important.

The introduction of Covid Certificates, also called Green Passport was the main topic of the meeting. Health Minister said the introduction of Green Passes would be a significant tool for vaccination promotion and safety of people.

US Ambassador said the green pass initiative had been very successful in many countries, different parts of the United States, in France and Ukraine, in Romania.

“It has shown that it’s the kind of incentive that will help people understand why getting vaccinated allows us to return to a certain amount of normal daily life. It’s very good for restoring our economies because it allows businesses to function. Again, we can go to hotels, we can go to restaurants and to stores. So, the green pass can really play a very important role, and it has proven to be very effective in other countries. I hope it will in Georgia as well,” Kelly Degnan said.

The Interagency Coordination Council meeting discussed the introduction of Covid Certificates, also called Green Passport on November 4.

By - Elene Dobordjginidze

Politics

Ekaterine Tikaradze

Kelly Degnan