2
NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
AUGUST 20 - 26, 2021
Pre-trial Detention Ordered for Olympic Champion, Former MP Zurab Zviadauri Corona Updates: Vaccinations Up, Mobile Clinics Mobilized, but More Action Needed from Citizens BY ANA DUMBADZE
D
espite the re-introduced restrictions, among them the suspension of municipal transport until September 4 and re-introducing the obligation of wearing face masks in open spaces, the daily numbers of infection cases and fatalities in Georgia continue to grow alarmingly. The local healthcare sector is overloaded due to an increasing number of infected patients. Furthermore, the recent increase in fatalities is related to wide circulation of the Indian strain (Delta), which is much more severe than the “traditional” Chinese or British strains. Amiran Gamkrelidze, Head of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), said the coronavirus infection rate today is three times higher than in May, and the healthcare system is "working on the edge of tension." The NCDC Director urged the population to observe social distancing, wear face masks and get vaccinated. To make vaccine jabs available for everyone, the Ministry of Health announced that individuals who are unable to move due to bad health can be vaccinated against coronavirus at home. They just need to call 15 22 to arrange it. In the regions, the Prime Minister noted this week that to maximize the population’s access to vaccines, mobile medical groups have been set up. These groups will coordinate with local municipalities to make the vaccines accessible to citizens who are unable to get to existing vaccination centers. Considering such a difficult situation, it is still unknown if schoolchildren will be able to resume their studies in classrooms in September, or whether they will have to again study online. Georgian capital Tbilisi and the Adjara region, in particular its main city Batumi, remain the hotspots in terms of the virus spread. The western Imereti region comes next in terms of increasing daily coronavirus cases. Ahead of the emergency situation, a field hospital has been set up in a part of the Dighomi Olympic Village in Tbilisi. Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze said such field hospitals would be fully equipped, and include up to 500 beds.
THE STATISTICS Georgia reported 2676 coronavirus cases, 4119 recoveries, and 30 deaths on Monday, however, these numbers were, as usual, due to the fewer tests conducted over the weekend, just 25,730 tests in total. Georgia reported 6208 coronavirus cases, 3539 recoveries, and 47 deaths on Tuesday, as a result of 47,872 tests conducted. The country recorded 5914 coronavirus cases, 3316 recoveries, and 49 deaths on Wednesday, following the 56,878 tests conducted. On Thursday, a record number of fatalities was detected, with Georgia reporting 58 COVID-related deaths, 4921
coronavirus cases, and 4471 recoveries. The daily test-positivity rate currently stands at 9.95%, down from 10.78% over the past 14 days. Georgia’s total case tally has reached 501,297 since February 2020, among them 436,977 people recovered and 6590 died.
THE VACCINES Against the background of increasing cases and fatalities, the vaccination process also became more active, with more and more people deciding to get a vaccine jab and protect themselves and other citizens. As of August 19, 883,570 people had received a Covid-19 vaccine, among them 258,303 are now fully vaccinated.
COVID AROUND THE WORLD The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 210 million, with more than 4.3 million deaths, based on the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. There are currently more than 17.4 million active cases of infection worldwide. The highest number of infections, 38 million cases, has been confirmed in the United States, followed by India with 32.3 million cases, followed by Brazil, Russia and France. New Zealand moved to the top level-4 national lockdown from midnight Tuesday after the first identified COVID-19 case in six months was found in the Auckland community. Japan has recorded a record number of coronavirus cases, while critical care beds in Tokyo are nearing capacity less than a week before the city is due to host the Paralympic Games. The latest wave of Covid-19 infections has spread beyond Tokyo, the center of previous outbreaks, with Osaka, neighboring Hyogo and other prefectures all reporting record caseloads on Wednesday. Nationally, the number of daily infections reached a record 23,917 according to a tally by the public broadcaster NHK. The United States reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, equating to around 42 fatalities an hour, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to ravage parts of the country with low vaccination rates. Coronavirus-related deaths have spiked in the US over the past month and are averaging 769 per day, the highest since mid-April, as reported by Reuters tally. The last time the United States recorded more than 1,000 deaths on a daily basis was in March. Positive tests, hospitalizations and deaths linked to COVID-19 have been rising slowly in the UK again. In the week leading up to August 18th, 211,238 people had a confirmed positive test result, an increase of 7.6% compared with the previous seven days. Over the same period, there have been 655 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, a rise of 7.9% versus the previous seven days. Hospitalizations have also risen slightly, with 5,623 going into hospital with coronavirus between 8 August 2021 and 14 August 2021, a rise of 4.3% compared with the week prior.
BY ANA DUMBADZE
T
elavi District Court has ordered pre-trial detention for Olympic champion, former MP Zurab Zviadauri. Olympic champion Zurab Zviadauri was arrested in connection with the murder of 3 people in Tsinan-
dali on August 16. Among the three murdered was his brother, Zviad Zviadauri. Another person arrested during the incident, Jaba Jangirashvili, standing accused of negligent possession of firearms, was also sent to pre-trial detention. Zviadauri pleads not guilty. His lawyer, Magda Kotrikadze, says he acted within the framework of necessary self-defense. Zurab Zviadauri is charged under Article 108 of the Criminal Code of Georgia
(premeditated murder). He faces a prison term from 8 to 15 years if convicted. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that he shot dead the man who shot his brother and several other people. He then took his wounded brother to the hospital, who later died. Reportedly, the current Olympic champions Lasha Bekauri and Lasha Talakhadze expressed their desire to stand surety for him. “I know that the current Olympic champions Lasha Bekauri and Lasha Talakhadze are ready to stand surety,” Zviadauri’s lawyer said. Georgian judoka Zviadauri competed in the Men’s 90 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal, the first for Georgia. He also won two silver medals in world championships (in 2001 and in 2003) and a bronze in the European championship in 2002. In 2012, he was elected to the Parliament of Georgia for the Akhmeta Municipality on a Georgian Dream coalition ticket. Zviadauri is a cousin of another Olympic champion, Georgian-born Greek Judoka Ilias Iliadis (born Jarji Zviadauri), who also won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympic games.
St Nino’s Turkish Birth Town Twinned with Sighnaghi BY KETEVAN SKHIRLADZE
O
rtahisar, a town in Turkey where the legendary St. Nino was born, has been twinned with Kakheti’s citadel of Sighnaghi, where St. Nino is now buried in the Bodbe Nunnery. Mayors Mustafa Ates and Giorgi Gogilashvili signed the protocol in Bodbe, while the Sighnaghi municipality as a whole hosted the Turkish delegation. Saint Nino preached Christianity in Georgia in the IV century. She is equal to the Apostles and the Enlightener of Georgia. As legends describe, she performed miracles and converted the Georgian Queen, Nana. Saint Nino’s grapevine cross, said to have been tied together with cuts of her own hair, is a symbol of Georgian Christianity. Before the official signing ceremony, the members of the delegation visited the Sighnaghi National Museum and explored examples of the ancient Georgian culture, as well as discovering some
original works of renowned primitive 20th century painter Niko Pirosmani. Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Fatma SerenYazgan,representativesoftheKakheti Regional Administration, and City Hall staff, attended the signing ceremony. An exhibition specially arranged for this day
was held in the yard of the nunnery, promoting the town of Ortahisar in photos. On the same day, a dialogue was held between the two sides in the nunnery, seeing them discuss the life of St. Nino, her merits, and plans for future cooperation.
