Quarantine may be extended in Armenia amid deteriorating epidemiological situation

Quarantine in Armenia will officially last until July 11 but the Ministry of Health believes that its term should be extended, as the number of infected people is growing again in the country.

From March 16 to September 11, 2020, a state of emergency was in force in the country. It was then immediately replaced by quarantine which is already expiring.

The Ministry of Health intends to appeal to the government with a proposal to extend the quarantine, as the number of infected people is growing again in the country. However, it is not yet clear for how long.

At the same time, the number of people wishing to be vaccinated is growing in Armenia. However, earlier, on social media, people began to actively discuss that one of the European countries does not recognize the certificate of vaccination with the AstraZeneca drug, issued in Yerevan. The Ministry of Health had to comment on why such a problem could arise.

Over the past day, 186 new cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in Armenia. The number of infected people in the country throughout the entire time of the pandemic has reached 225 987. 4,536 people have died, 217 381 patients have recovered.

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Recognition of Armenian vaccination certificates in the EU

The problem of recognizing Armenian vaccination certificates in the EU countries will soon be resolved, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said on July 8. However, until recently, not many people knew that such a problem exists in Armenia.

Director of the National Museum-Institute of Architecture Mark Grigoryan announced it on his Facebook page. He said that he was going to go to Norway to visit his relatives, but could not leave, since the certificate of vaccination with AstraZeneca, issued in Armenia, as it turned out, was not recognized by the EU countries.

“It would seem like there should not be a problem? AstraZeneca is AstraZeneca everywhere. However, this is not the case. The QR code received in Armenia, as it turned out, is not recognized in Europe”, Mark Grigoryan wrote.

In response, the Minister of Health stated that at the moment the process of mutual recognition of vaccination certificates in Armenia and the EU countries is already underway:

“In Armenia, vaccination is carried out with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), which is used in other countries, and the EU countries recognize it – and this applies to absolutely all vaccines”.

Which vaccines are available in Armenia

Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan stated that the residents of Armenia can choose the drug for vaccination themselves. There are three available vaccines to choose from – Sputnik V, AstraZeneca and CoronaVac.

According to her, in Armenia an increase in the number of infected people can once again be observed, however, at the same time, the number of people wishing to be vaccinated is also growing. If a couple of weeks ago, up to two thousand people were vaccinated a day, now it is about five thousand every day.

“We are working on a daily basis to import vaccines of other samples. Most importantly, they are free and available to citizens. All one needs to do is to go to any polyclinic, or to any mobile vaccination point”, said Anahit Avanesyan.

97,711 people have already been vaccinated in Armenia and yet, in terms of vaccination rates, Armenia still lags behind other countries of the South Caucasus.

Vaccination rules for local and foreigners

In Armenia, not only local residents but also foreigners can get vaccinated for free.

“Proceeding from the fact that it is a socially dangerous disease, we have chosen the principle of free vaccination of tourists. However, this does not mean that with an increase in their interest in vaccination, we will not amend our policy”, said the Minister of Health.

Until the free vaccination of foreigners is canceled in the country, now the clinics will serve only local citizens. Foreigners will still be able to get vaccinated in mobile centers. There is one more condition for the guests of Armenia. To get the vaccine for free, they need to be staying in the country for at least ten days.