COVID-19 negatively impacted access to healthcare and the majority are worried about COVID-19 yet unlikely to vaccinate, UNICEF’s Real Time Monitoring Survey reveals

TBILISI, Georgia, 17 February 2022. Over 82 per cent of respondents are worried that someone in their immediate family will become seriously ill with COVID-19 yet 33 per cent of unvaccinated respondents remain unlikely to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and 35 per cent are undecided, according to the results of the sixth and final wave of the Real Time Monitoring Survey presented today. The primary reasons for not vaccinating were concerns of side effects, vaccine safety and existing health problems.

The Real Time Monitoring Survey, carried out by the National Statistics Office of Georgia in partnership with UNICEF and with support from USAID, showed that 11 per cent of households were unable able to receive a needed health service and 38 per cent of households could not afford medication in the two weeks prior to the survey.

Only 60 per cent of children age 2 to 4 years and only 66 per cent of children age 2 to 5 years attended early childhood education since the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.  

Over 71 per cent of children age 6-17 years attended only classroom teaching, 22 per cent - only distance learning, 5 per cent - combined learning, while 2 per cent did not attend school at all. Up to 15 per cent of families had no access to internet, with rural households more than twice as likely to have no internet than urban households, making online learning a challenge and increasing the digital divide.

Since 2020, the Real Time Monitoring survey studied the impact of COVID-19 on the welfare of families and children, including the impact on household income, education, access to healthcare, access to Internet and ICT equipment and attitudes towards COVID-19 and vaccination. The sixth wave of the Real Time Monitoring survey was conducted in December 2021.

About USAID in Georgia: As the leading development agency of the U.S. Government, USAID supports Georgia to build the capacity to plan, finance, and implement its own solutions to development challenges. USAID has worked in Georgia since 1992, supporting the country’s transformation into a developing democracy that is increasingly integrated into Western political, security, and economic institutions. More than 30 USAID programs strengthen Georgia's resilience to malign influence, consolidate democratic gains through enhanced citizen responsive governance, and enable high-value employment through increased economic growth.  For more information, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/georgia.