During the Government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that while the Armenian Armed Forces are fulfilling their duties on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border the country needs to be stronger but unfortunately new cases of COVID-19 are being registered.
Pashinyan urged the population to continue following the anti-pandemic guidelines. He also noted that pressure on the healthcare system has been somewhat alleviated over the last week and the government thinks it is because more people are wearing face masks. The Prime Minister noted, however, there are still those among the population who are not wearing masks and emphasized once again the importance of following guidelines.
Health Minister Arsen Torosyan noted that the 554 registered number of cases is not the desirable number the Ministry wants to record. He went on to say, however, there is progress compared to the numbers and situation during the last two weeks in terms of availability of beds, weakened pressure on the healthcare system and the ability to quickly and properly provide medical care to the citizens. Torosyan said that for the fourth day in a row, there are no patients waiting to be admitted to hospitals and no patients in medical institutions waiting to be transferred to hospitals treating COVID-19.
According to the Minister, the number of patients in critical or extremely critical condition remains stable, fluctuating around 650, while 50 patients are on ventilators. He noted that in particular, older patients and those with chronic diseases are succumbing to the virus. Torosyan emphasized that it’s important to be more attentive and it's everyone's responsibility to protect the most vulnerable from getting infected in order to eliminate deaths or at least minimize the number.
According to Torosyan, by continuing the activities and controlling the situation the healthcare system is managing to cope with this challenge and there are at least no cases when a citizen is left out and cannot receive medical care. The Minister advised the population to continue following the anti-pandemic guidelines, to make them a part of their daily lives without waiting for inspection from the police or other relevant inspection authorities noting that Armenia’s experience showed that the anti-epidemic measurements work. “We always link to international experience and different research but we ourselves see that it works, and this stable but difficult situation is thanks to the anti-pandemic measurements.”
