NEWS

Corona Updates: NY Times - Georgia Ranks 5th Worldwide in Terms of Coronavirus Spread

BY ANA DUMBADZE

Georgia ranks 5th in the world in terms of the latest dynamics of the spread of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants, says the New York Times. Based on statistics from Our World in Data, the number of daily cases has increased by 88% in the last two weeks, reaching 76 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The same statistics put the Isle of Man in fi rst place, with a total population of 84,500 and an average of 103 new daily cases of coronavirus.

In second place is Fiji, with 1,013 new cases reported daily. Fiji is followed by Botswana, where an average of 1,871 new infections are reported per day. In fourth place is Cuba, with 8,924 cases per day.

Regarding the daily death rate according to the weighted data per 100,000 population, Georgia is in 11th place from the end. Only Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar, Ecuador, Paraguay, Fiji, Botswana, Namibia, Tunisia and the British Virgin Islands are ahead of Georgia in terms of mortality.

On August 8, the UK will be putting Georgia on its Red List, alongside Mayotte, Mexico and Reunion, meaning British nationals visiting these countries will have to pay over 1700 Pounds ($2400) for a stay in a quarantine hotel on returning home.

This week, the alarming increase in newly detected coronavirus cases is especially notable. Georgian capital Tbilisi remains a hotspot in terms of the virus spread, as almost half of the cases detected daily are recorded there, followed by the Adjara and Imereti regions.

On Monday, Georgia reported 1655 coronavirus cases, 2286 recoveries, and 23 deaths, with 20,661 tests conducted. Georgian capital Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 701 Covid-19 cases.

Since Monday, the number of newly detected cases has been increasing due to a larger number of tests conducted.

Georgia reported 4827 coronavirus cases, 1895 recoveries, and 34 deaths on Tuesday, with 43,932 tests conducted. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 2297 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Adjara region with 634 cases, and the Imereti region with 494 cases.

Georgia reported 4233 coronavirus cases, 1934 recoveries, and 38 deaths on Wednesday, with 45,229 tests conducted. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 1924 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Adjara region with 591 cases and the Imereti region with 518 cases.

Georgia reported 3670 new cases on Thursday morning, 2626 recoveries, and 38 deaths. 41,885 tests were conducted in the 24 hours prior.

The test positivity rate on the day stood at 8.76%, and it was reported that the daily vaccination rate had risen by some 4000 persons per day to an average of 20,000.

Given the alarming statistics, epidemiologists and government offi cials constantly urge the population to get vaccinated, claiming it is “the only way to end the pandemic.”

However, distrust in the vaccine is still high in the country, a fact confi rmed by the latest survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI), indicating that Georgians are increasingly hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey shows that the majority of respondents, 45%, would not get vaccinated against coronavirus, which is a sixpoint increase from IRI’s February 2021 poll.

Amiran Gamkrelidze, Head of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) reported that the center analyzed the fatalities in 2021 and determined that 99.7% of dead persons were not vaccinated.

He noted that the possibility of infection is 0.3% among fully vaccinated persons, and 0.9% among those who had received their fi rst jabs.

The NCDC Head spoke about the signifi cance of immunization and the worsened epidemiological situation and said control would be reinforced on wearing facemasks indoors.

The NCDC recommended allowing fully vaccinated people or those with negative PCR test results into social events, festivals and receptions.

“If the acting regulations are not executed, then we will consider the imposition of stricter restrictions due to the worsened epidemiological situation based on all indicators and parameters,” Gamkrelidze stated.

The Covid-19 Delta strain will become dominant in Georgia from the end of August, says allergist-immunologist Bidzina Kulumbegov, noting that management of the pandemic with the given daily number of coronavirus cases is critical, especially while the majority of the population remains unvaccinated. Wearing facemasks should be mandatory both indoors and outdoors.

He noted that the current situation is “tragic,” and the daily death toll might reach 50 if regulations and sanitary norms are not strictly observed.

THE SITUATION WORLDWIDE

More than 4 million new cases of Covid19 infection were detected worldwide last week, a 3% increase on the previous week, seeing up to 64,000 people dead, the WHO said on Wednesday.

The growing trend is largely due to the increase in cases in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacifi c, where the number of new cases of infection has increased by 37% and 33% respectively compared to the previous week.

WHO says the highest number of new cases of infection, 543,420 cases, were detected in the United States, which is 9% more than the number of cases reported last week. Then comes India with 283,923 new cases, which is 7% more than last week, followed by Indonesia with 273,891 new cases (though 5% down compared to the previous week), followed by Brazil and Iran.

In addition, the organization's weekly report states that the new variants of coronavirus continue to spread around the world.

The Alpha strain, which was fi rst identifi ed in the United Kingdom and is therefore referred to as the "British variant," has been identifi ed in about 182 countries around the world, the Beta (“South African”) variant is in 132 countries, the Gamma (“Brazilian”) variant has been found in 81 countries, and the Delta strain ("Indian variant") is currently recorded in 135 countries around the world, including Georgia.

THE SITUATION IN GEORGIA’S NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Regarding the neighboring countries, the epidemiological situation is diffi cult in Russia, where the total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 483,000.

Russia on Wednesday reported 22,589 new coronavirus cases and 790 deaths.

Moscow’s 119 health clinics and 45 vaccination sites began offering the Sputnik V and Sputnik Light booster vaccine shots against coronavirus, according to Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin kicked off the booster campaign on July 1, urging vaccinated residents to get a third shot six months later, as the country battles the highly contagious Delta variant.

The situation has relatively improved in Turkey, which has begun to ease restrictions after enduring a major spike in cases in the fi rst half of 2021, which led to a 17-day lockdown at the end of April. As of July, it has scrapped its nighttime curfew and Sunday lockdowns, and has begun to tentatively reopen.

“Turkey's death toll stands at 51,124, with nearly 5.6 million cases registered. After a tough fi rst year, the situation has improved markedly following a number of strict lockdowns and restrictions on socializing. The country has seen daily case numbers fall to around 22,000 (down from a record 823,000 in December 2020). It has fully vaccinated over 30% of the population as of July 29,” reports CNN.

JICA Georgia Offi ce Pleased to Announce Opening for the Position of National Staff

Description of the job: ** Analyze and Survey of the Country’s current Economy and Politics; ** To collect information on the development as well as policies and projects of other donors and analyze the issues with regard to assigned programs; ** To coordinate submission of requests from the counterpart Government; ** To supervise the implementation process of assigned programs; to prepare implementation and budget plan, make logistic arrangement and make necessary coordination and negotiation with related organizations in Caucasus countries and Japan, to make necessary translation and interpretation when communicating with counterparts, and to monitor the progress of assigned programs; ** To coordinate Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer’s (JOCV) activity in Georgia; ** Other tasks given by Resident Representative;

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

** University degree; ** Native in Georgian, highly profi cient in spoken and written English, Japanese, and desirable to understand Russian language. (Regarding English and Japanese profi ciency, certifi cates are necessary); ** Computer literacy (word, excel, power point etc); ** At least fi ve years of work experience in a similar fi eld;

** Analytical, open-minded, honest character; ** Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ** Well-organized; strong sense of responsibility; hard working; ** Willingness to go to the fi eld trips.

PREFERABLE BUT NOT MANDATORY SKILLS:

** Familiarity with terms related to fi nance

TERM:

From September 1, 2021 till August 31, 2022, with possible extension (Probation period is 3 months. The employer will be able to terminate the contract depending on the performance during the probation period).

SALARY:

US$1300~1500/month (actual amount will be adjusted based on the past work experience and will be paid in GEL)

WORKING HOURS:

Monday – Friday, 9:30 – 18:00 (with lunch break from 13:00 – 14:00)

NEXT STEP:

Only shortlisted persons will be notifi ed by email and invited to an interview.

Interested candidates should send a CV (in English) with two contacts from previous workplaces/schools, and copies of certifi cates to: gg_oso_rep@jica. go.jp and jicageorgia@gmail.com; no later than August 15, 2021.

Massive Forest Fires Burn through Turkish Resorts and Agriculture

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

Seventy wildfi res broke out in the southern and southwestern provinces of Turkey on July 28, spreading to resorts and populated areas. Thousands of people have since been evacuated from their homes.

The fi re caused eight people’s death, among them two fi refi ghters. To prevent new outbreaks of fi re, the governor of Istanbul banned entry into the forest until 31 August.

The wildfi res ravaging Turkey’s southern and western coastal regions have also caused great damage to agricultural fi elds and farms.

It is said that now the production of olives, honey, and many fruits and vegetables is at risk.

“As of Tuesday, only 13 wildfi res remain out of dozens as fi refi ghters in six provinces have worked since last Wednesday to extinguish the blazes. The worst fi res in terms of size and speed are in the Manavgat and Gündogmus districts of southern Antalya and in the Marmaris and Milas districts of southwestern Mugla,” the Daily Sabah reported.

The edition noted that, based on the preliminary assessment of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the wildfi res have left honey production signifi cantly at risk in Mugla, since some 80% of the region, which is home to 45% of Turkey’s total bee breeding business, was burned to ashes.

Mutlu Ayhan, Chairperson of the Marmaris Chamber of Commerce, said that an area of 8,000-8,500 hectares has been destroyed.

“In Antalya’s Manavgat, the preliminary assessments revealed that nearly 700 decares of banana greenhouses, over 100 decares of vegetable greenhouses, and over 15,000 decares of olive, laurel, carob, and citrus fi elds were damaged.

“More than 300 cattle, around 3,000 sheep and goats, nearly 4,000 poultry animals and some 400 beehives were destroyed in the fi re,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ali Çandar, chairperson of Antalya Commodity Exchange, said feed and straw aid has come from exchanges in various parts of the country to be delivered to the farmers.

Reportedly, currently, some 16 planes, including those that came to Turkey’s aid, and 51 helicopters are tackling the blazes across the swathe of southwest Turkey. The EU said it mobilized fi refi ghting planes from Croatia and Spain to help Turkey.

Planes from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran have also been fi ghting the blazes. Spain said it was sending two water-dumping aircraft and one transport plane as well as 27 soldiers to help.

As to the cause of the fi res, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he does not rule out sabotage and the possibility that the fi re was deliberately started by arsonists. He noted an investigation is underway.