Armenian Minister of Health: “The spread of coronavirus is out of control”

On the morning of April 10, the number of cases reached 937. Of those, 149 have recovered, and 777 are still hospitalized and under medical surveillance. Two deaths were reported during the day, bringing the total for the country to 12.

Coronavirus continues to spread across Armenia, and as the Minister of Health stated, the situation is no longer under government control.

In this regard, Arsen Torosyan suggested that the government extend the state of emergency, which was declared on March 16 and was scheduled to end on April 14.

The Armenian authorities have yet to come to an official decision. In any case, doctors decided to prepare for the worst.

At the same time, Armenia is receiving financial and humanitarian aid from different countries and organizations.

More information on the minister’s predictions about Armenia’s plan to overcome the epidemic.

• Coronavirus in the Caucasus. 7-9 April, 2020
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The situation has gotten out of control

Recently, the number of people infected each day began to decrease, which gave rise to hope that the disease had peaked and that the curve is now sloping downward. However, the Minister of Health is of the opposite opinion. Arsen Torosyan presented his less than optimistic predictions to the parliamentary health committee:

“We can’t assume that proliferation has stopped and that we’re already past the peak. Why? Because whereas earlier, for example, we had 50 cases, but from a single source of infection, now, when we look at cases all from the same large industrial enterprise, now we have 16, 20, 30 cases, but from 10 or 20 different people. Consequently, the coronavirus infection has spread out of control.”

After making this statement in parliament, Arsen Torosyan announced his proposal to extend the state of emergency:

“We believe that this is important in terms of ensuring the efficacy of our efforts to prevent coronavirus.”

He believes that even if the state of emergency is lifted, it will be impossible to quickly return to the way things were before. Long-term measures must be taken in order to break the viral chain of infection:

“We need to monitor, identify and treat new cases of infection, and those who come in contact with the infected should be isolated. And we need to do this until a vaccine for the virus is developed, or until people recover.”

One option being discussed is extending the state of emergency by one month.

What aid is Armenia receiving?

Doctors believe that for now, the country has enough supplies to handle the expected increase in the number of coronavirus patients.

At the same time, Armenia has been receiving assistance since the beginning of April in its fight against coronavirus from various countries and organizations.

The European Union announced that they would be allotting 92 million euros to implement projects to combat coronavirus. The EU delegation in Yerevan said on its Facebook page that this sum will be directed towards urgent and short-term needs:

“The funds will be used to supply medical equipment and supplies, retrain medical staff and laboratory staff, support small and mid-sized businesses and the business community, as well as provide social and humanitarian assistance to victims of the coronavirus outbreak.”

Russia provided Armenia with coronavirus test systems to be used in the labs.

In addition, two Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft carrying military specialists and medical equipment have already landed in Yerevan.

A mobile laboratory was also given to the country so that they could diagnose coronavirus among military personnel – both on Armenian bases and the Russian military base located in Gyumri.

A large batch of medicines, medical supplies and equipment arrived from China, which consisted of:

120 ventilators,

2 oxygen filling stations,

60,000 tests,

60,000 medical masks,

280,000 protective masks,

20,000 protective goggles,

100,000 hazmat suits.

The packaging attracted special attention. All medical equipment arrived in boxes with the inscription:

“May our friendship be higher than Mount Ararat and longer than the Yangtze River.”

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative also provided aid to Armenia. They wired the Ministry of Health $120,000 for the purchase of mechanical ventilation devices.

“The outbreak of the epidemic forced the world, including the Armenian healthcare system, to quickly mobilize its forces and use all its resources to have a timely response. The response of our state to this health crisis was adequate. However, we must not underestimate the importance of having the necessary equipment,” said the Armenian Minister of Health.