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NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2022
NDI Poll: Deterioration of the Economy at the Forefront of People’s Minds; Majority Says Nobody Acts in their Best Interest
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oll results released on Thursday by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and CRRC Georgia show that Georgians see insufficient progress on the top national issues of concern and think the situation regarding poverty, crime, territorial integrity and education has gotten worse in the last 10 years. Public concerns are consistent across political affiliation, signaling opportunities for political parties to work together to address the common needs of Georgia’s citizens. The new poll finds that the majority of Georgians do not think anyone - neither government nor opposition parties - is acting in their best interest. Georgians also remain skeptical of the newly elected parliament’s willingness to address their concerns. More than half of the population (53%) does not believe parliament is passing legislation on issues that matter to them, while 52% do not believe an MP will take action if citizens tell them about problems in their district. Only a third believes that parliament regularly communicates with the public. “Economic insecurity remains a top priority for the Georgian public and provides a clear direction for government and political parties to respond. A renewed focus on the issues of top concern is required across the political spectrum through government, parliament and local councils,” says Alan Gillam, NDI Georgia Country Director. “The consistency of the public view on these issues should be seen as a call to action for political leaders who have lost the confidence of the public in representing their interests.” In light of extreme political polarization, Georgians are supportive of a wide
cross-party collaboration. 80% agree that their favorite political party should cooperate with all other political parties in the parliament, even if the views of some parties might be unacceptable to them. This perception is consistent across political affiliation. The majority of Georgians believe that domestic actors are best placed to facilitate mediation between the opposition and the government. A plurality (34%) thinks the Georgian political parties themselves would make best facilitators during negotiations, while 11% consider the president would be a suitable moderator. 18% would look to the international community, believing western partners are needed for negotiations. “The public have clearly stated that the political parties in Georgia need to work together to resolve these challenges,” Gillam notes. “The need for economic recovery, exacerbated by the pandemic, remains a fundamental challenge in the upcoming period and should focus the minds of government and opposition alike.” Although living in a democratic state remains important for the majority (92%), only 39% believe Georgia meets this criteria. Further, a plurality of Georgians think Georgia is no longer a beacon of democracy (34%), while 25% says Georgia was never a good example of democracy to begin with. Only 23% of citizens agree that Georgia is a good example of democracy for the neighboring states. Finally, as Covid-19 continues to dominate the lives of citizens across the world, Georgians praise the government for doing a good job handling the pandemic (50%). What remains alarming is the high level of vaccine hesitancy – 42%
The new poll finds that the majority of Georgians do not think anyone - neither government nor opposition parties - is acting in their best interest. Georgians also remain skeptical of the newly elected parliament’s willingness to address their concerns. Source: gov.ge
said they would not get vaccinated; 29% said they are already vaccinated, 25% said they intend to get a vaccine. Among those who are hesitant, the main reasons are concerns about the quality of the vaccine (38%) and possible side effects for those with pre-existing health conditions (20%). 34% of vaccinated individuals say they will not get a booster, or are undecided about it.
NDI surveys public opinion to help Georgian stakeholders diagnose and address issues of public concern by providing accurate, unbiased and statistically sound data. This poll aims to capture the most relevant information to foster the development of responsive policies and governance. The results reflect data collected between December 7-13, 2021, through telephone interviews
with a nationwide representative sample of Georgia’s adult population, excluding occupied territories, that included 2099 completed interviews. The average margin of error is +/- 1.4%. Respondents were selected using the random-digitdial method. This poll was carried out by CRRC Georgia. NDI’s survey work is funded by UK aid from the British people.
Corona Updates: Cases Hit Anti-Record in Georgia BY ANA DUMBADZE
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his week, Coronavirus cases in Georgia hit an antirecord, with up to 17,500 new cases seen daily. Capital Tbilisi, along with the Adjara and Imereti regions, are the hotspots of the rapid virus spread. On January 23, Tbilisi’s renowned Gold Market was closed after a rise in employee Covid-19 cases and exposure. The Market’s doors are expected to remain shut until February 1.
THE STATISTICS Georgia reported 15,762 coronavirus cases, 5160 recoveries, and 42 deaths on Tuesday. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 8357 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 1907 cases, and the Adjara region with 1608 cases. The country reported 17,530 new cases, 5087 recoveries, and 39 deaths on Wednesday. Tbilisi recorded 9487 cases, followed by Imereti with 1990 cases, and Adjara with 1958 cases. Georgia reported 17,484 coronavirus cases, 3699 recoveries, and 27 deaths on Thursday. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 8989 Covid-19 cases within 24 hours, followed by the Adjara region with 2255 cases, and the Imereti region with 2222 cases.
THE VACCINES Georgians, in an NDI poll carried out mid-December, praised the government for doing a good job handling the pandemic (50%). What remains alarming, the NDI reports, is the high level of vaccine hesitancy: 42% said they would
not get vaccinated; 29% said they are already vaccinated, 25% said they intend to get a vaccine. Against this background, the Georgian authorities are trying to increase the vaccination rate, this week announcing that citizens over 50 who get Covid-19 booster shots will be gifted 100 GEL. Head of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Amiran Gamkrelidze, said that Omicron strain coronavirus cases were expected to increase in the next fortnight, and that, currently, 90% of confirmed cases are of the Omicron strain. He highlighted that of 1600 confirmed Omicron cases, only 16 patients required hospitalization. The majority of the infected patients were said to be young. The Minister of Refugees, Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Zurab Azarashvili stated that in the last two weeks, an average of 4300 to 4500 hospital beds have been occupied. “With Omicron, there is no hospitalization, and the hospitalization rate has reduced from 20% to 4.5%.” The minister noted there are more than 500,000 doses of Pfizer left in the country, as well as another million and a half doses of other vaccines. He recognized that they need to work more in this direction. “In regions where vaccination has been less available, 30 to 40 mobile groups will go and offer vaccination on the spot, simultaneously. We are also launching a communication campaign on vaccination and explaining the benefits of immunization. We have also started incentive measures. With all this, we think we will be able to use up the existing 500,000 doses of Pfizer,” he said. This week, it was also announced that
untested individuals who had had symptoms and were monitored by a GP will receive green passports and be registered on the coronavirus database. "The Ministry issued the relevant normative act - if a person was not tested but had symptoms and contacted 112, and had contact with the family doctor and was under supervision for a certain period, this will be reflected in the database for them to get a green passport," Azarashvili announced. Global health experts have said at least five to six billion doses are needed by poorer countries to help protect them against Coronavirus amid the ongoing pandemic. Importantly, Pfizer and BioNTech have started clinical trials of a new Covid vaccine which targets the Omicron variant. Based on the same source, the companies plan to test the protection gained from the new vaccine as a booster jab, and as three separate jabs in unvaccinated people. More than 1400 adults are expected to be enrolled in the trial, which is likely to be run in the United States. US company Moderna is planning to begin trials of its own Omicron-specific shot soon, while Oxford University and AstraZeneca have also started working on a new version of their vaccine.
THE CASES WORLDWIDE As of Wednesday evening, more than 361.4 million cases of Covid-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.6 million.
GERMANY Germany is finding itself divided over
Image source: GETTY IMAGES
Covid, with the unvaccinated banned from restaurants, non-essential shops, leisure and arts facilities, and where politicians are considering compulsory vaccination. German Covid protests have been turning nasty in the row over rules and vaccinations, the BBC reported this week. It noted that some of the biggest protests this month have been in eastern Germany and that every week, tens of thousands of Germans take to the streets to demonstrate against the restrictions and vaccination. “Many protests are peaceful, but others explode into violence, and experts are increasingly worried by the aggressive language and threats aimed at politicians and public figures online,” the BBC wrote.
THE UK In England and Scotland, from February 11, Covid travel tests are to be axed for the fully vaccinated. People arriving in England or Scotland from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, it has been confirmed. Rules have also been eased for unvac-
cinated travellers, who will no longer have to take a “day eight” test or selfisolate. However, they will still need pre-departure and “day two” tests. Most coronavirus restrictions are being lifted in England after the government said its vaccine booster rollout had successfully reduced serious illness and Covid-19 hospitalizations, reported CBC News. According to the same source, face coverings are no longer required by law anywhere in England, and a legal requirement for Covid-19 passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has been scrapped.
AUSTRIA Austria's lockdown for people not fully vaccinated will end on Monday because the pressure on hospitals has eased, the government said.
RUSSIA Russia has expanded a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine for children aged 12-17 to include more regions, amid the country's biggest infection surge yet due to the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
