Page 24 - GEORptNov21

EU and WHO in
€40mn effort to assist Eastern Partnership countries with COVID-19 vaccines
The European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe will draw on a €40mn budget in a three-year effort at supporting the deployment of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines and vaccination in the six EU Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The project, funded by the EU and implemented by the Regional Office, will cover all phases—constituting “end-to-end” support—of COVID-19 vaccine deployment and vaccination, the two organisations said on February 11. “It will also serve as a major investment to strengthen routine immunization systems in the six countries,” they said in an announcement.
The project amounts to the largest EU and WHO joint action ever implemented in the European Region.
Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said: “Successful vaccination requires much more than vaccine development and dissemination. This comprehensive ‘end-to-end’ initiative, generously supported by the European Union, will allow the WHO Regional Office for Europe to ensure that Eastern Partnership countries are well prepared, immunization systems are in place, and personnel are trained to deliver the precious COVID-19 vaccines to those who need them most.
“And the work does not end there. Monitoring of uptake and vaccine safety must continue as more vaccines are rolled out across populations. All of us have a responsibility to make sure that no country is left behind in this complex process. I thank the European Union for their solidarity and commitment to work with us to stop this pandemic.”
4.4 Labour and income
4.4.1 Unemployment, income dynamics
COVID-19 wipes out around 12.2% of Georgia’s jobs as of Q1
The number of formally employed Georgians decreased by 12.2% y/y in Q1 to 782,000, implying that around 108,000 jobs were wiped out by the coronavirus-driven crisis that mostly hit the “HoReCa” food service and hotel industries sector of a country that is reliant on tourism.
24 GEORGIA Country Report November 2021 www.intellinews.com