Coronavirus out of control in Armenia

Armenia has confirmed 697 COVID-19 new cases, bringing the total number to 11,221, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during an online broadcast on his Facebook page.

"Yesterday, we recorded 697 new cases. This means that we have come close to the situation when our medical facilities are not able to accept new patients," he said.

According to the PM, 6 patients died yesterday from COVID 19, and another 9 coronavirus-positive people’s deaths occurred for other reasons.

Pashinyan said that the healthcare system is already struggling to cope with the situation and outlined the main problems.

In his words, the insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that about 75% of infected people tolerate it without symptoms and exacerbations, but among the remaining 25% there are people who need serious and intensive treatment.

"If, for example, there are thousands of patients, our health care system is able to serve these 25%, but when the total number of infected people exceeds 10,000, everything becomes very complicated. We have reached the point where our health care system is already struggling to cope," ARKA cited the prime minister as saying.

The main danger, he said, is asymptomatic patients. “We know for sure that in the country now there are from 20 to 30 thousand asymptomatic infected people who do not know about their disease, but spread it. Such people are everywhere, so you need to treat everyone around as potentially infected and follow all the necessary protection rules," Pashinyan said.

He recalled that from today, wearing masks outside becomes mandatory also outdoor. "I was convinced that the most effective method is the instrument of public control," Pashinyan said, recalling his statement yesterday about forming a team of anti-epidemiological public control.

Pashinyan called on fellow citizens to join the general anti-epidemiological movement in order to curb the spread of infection.

"Firstly, we must strictly comply with the anti-epidemiological measures, secondly, we must demand the same from others and thirdly, we must publish cases of violation of these rules in social networks. A monitoring group has already been created in the Police that will monitor signals from social networks," stressed the prime minister.

In his words, special attention should be paid to crowded places - banks, post offices and government departments.

Pashinyan also said that the commandant’s office has several scenarios, one of which will be implemented.

The state of emergency, introduced in Armenia on March 16, 2020 and extended to May 14, is again extended until 17:00 on June 13 inclusive.  

According to the latest official report released Thursday morning, there are 11,221 confirmed COVID-19 infection cases, 176 deaths and 3,468 recovered patients in Armenia.