COVID-19 Update (July 16)

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.”

Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian met with representatives of the tourism sector and said that after the pandemic people will start to see and discover the world in a new way and there will be competition in the new world including the tourism sector. For this reason, he noted that it’s important to think about the development strategy of tourism, about branding and marketing of the country and taking steps to raise the visibility and popularity of Armenia.

The representatives of the sector, speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, explained that tourism had been hardest hit; they spoke about the need for state support and tax benefits for the further development of a sector which is highly important for the country. Predictions for recovery and possible solutions to promote tourism were also discussed.

Sarkissian said his office is planning several international events that will contribute to the development of tourism and the recognition of the country.

The Ministry of Health of Artsakh reported three new cases of COVID-19 and four new recoveries, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 156, of which 28 are active cases and 128 have already recovered.

The two new cases are from previously recorded infection hubs, one is from a new hub. The condition of two patients is critical, the condition of four patients is moderate. To date, 3319 tests have been conducted of which 144 were in the last 24 hours. Currently, 65 people are in isolation.

The Ministry of Health reported 554 new cases of COVID-19 and 583 recoveries, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 33,559 of which 10,832 are active cases and 21,931 have already recovered. Fifteen COVID-19 patients (the youngest aged 60 and the oldest 88), who all, except for one, had pre-existing health conditions, died bringing the total number of deaths to 607. To date, 141,410 tests have been conducted, of which 2,190 were in the last 24 hours.