Amiran Gamkrelidze: If 60-70% of the population gets vaccinated this year, we will defeat the pandemic

According to Amiran Gamkrelidze, head of the National Center for Disease Control, if 60-70% of the population gets vaccinated this year, a high level of immunity will be established in the society and it will be possible to defeat the pandemic.

As Amiran Gamkrelidze told InterPressNews, the only weapon to defeat the pandemic is a vaccine.

"As you know, there is no direct cure for this virus. Today there are only regulations and restrictive measures, and vaccinations have already started. The vaccine is the most powerful tool for the prevention of infectious diseases. Therefore, all of us together, the medical staff, not only in Georgia, but all over the world, must succeed and create the highest possible immune layer in society. If 60-70% of the population gets vaccinated this year, which is, of course, a difficult task, then the society will have a very high immunity and we will defeat the pandemic", - Gamkrelidze said.

Gamkrelidze also noted that the public should be provided with only the correct information about vaccination, in which the role of the media is quite large.

According to Amiran Gamkrelidze, Georgia only receives the vaccine that is recommended by the World Health Organization and is safe for people's health.

"The vaccines that we receive are authorized by the World Health Organization and are safe", - Gamkrelidze said.