“You can’t behave so freely with Omicron, we still don’t know how he will behave among the elderly” - Paata Imnadze

“You can't be so free with Omicron. We still do not know how Omicron will behave among the elderly, especially among the unvaccinated,” - said Paata Imnadze, deputy head of the Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Imnadze notes that we should not rely on natural immunity.

Omicron has already spread throughout the country. “But you can't be that free with Omicron. There are many unvaccinated people. We still don't know how Omicron will behave in the elderly population. Works have been published that indicate that "omicron" affects the immune system, which can later lead to negative consequences. Protect yourself from the Omicron strain, just as we must protect ourselves from Delta. “We should not rely on natural immunity, we should get vaccinated, give booster doses and wear a mask everywhere,” said Paata Imnadze.

According to Paata Imnadze, vaccination provides protection against death.

“The chances of new mutations appearing in Georgia are not great, because the population of Georgia is not large enough for a new mutation of the virus to occur. It can happen, but the probability is too low. In any case, it is imperative to be vaccinated so that the coronavirus does less harm.

In the case of Omicron, twice the vaccination is 9 times more protective against death, that is, a person is 9 times less likely to die, and the booster protects us 40 times more. “Vaccines do not fully protect us from infection, but they effectively protect us from death,” - said Paata Imnadze.