Armenia’s Ministry of Health reports daily record of COVID-19 deaths

Armenian authorities have reported the highest number of COVID-19 related deaths in a single day on November 2 since the start of the pandemic. 

The country is facing its worst wave of the disease yet. The spread of the coronavirus, which has been steadily increasing in recent months, has rapidly accelerated in past weeks. On November 2, the Ministry of Health of Armenia (MoH) recorded 62 deaths due to COVID-19, the highest number of daily deaths since last spring.  

The MoH has reported upwards of 1,000 new cases of infections every day since the start of October. On November 3, the ministry registered 2,045 new cases in a country with a population of three million. In total, 312,674 people have been infected with the coronavirus, and 7,803 people have died as a result since the beginning of the pandemic. 

As the death toll increases, health officials have struggled to inoculate the population against the coronavirus. Armenia demonstrates the lowest vaccination rate in the South Caucasus. According to the latest official data, just over seven percent of Armenians are fully vaccinated, and 8.64-percent are partially vaccinated. In comparison, almost 23-percent of people in Georgia and 43-percent of people in Azerbaijan are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

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The pace of vaccinations has increased in response to a nationwide vaccine mandate. As of October 1, employees are required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative PCR test every 14 days to their employer. Authorities have stated that workers could lose their jobs if they do not comply with the mandate. Government officials can also monitor enterprises twice a day and fine businesses 120,000 drams (about $240) for a violation.

Employees who choose not to get inoculated against the coronavirus must take tests at their own expense. A PCR test in Armenia costs roughly 10,000 drams (about $20). 

The decree applies to government employees and workers in a wide range of industries including construction, sales, hospitality, transportation and education. This grouping includes approximately 246,900 people. 

Opponents of the decree argue that its exemption of high-ranking government officials, including ministers, members of parliament and judges, from the vaccine mandate is discriminatory. The Ministry of Justice justified this exemption on the grounds that elected officials or officials appointed through a constitutional process do not answer to a superior body that appoints or dismisses them. Therefore, a minister could not be fired for refusing to get vaccinated, hypothetically. 

Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan also rebuked criticisms of the decree on the basis that virtually all members of the upper echelons of government have been vaccinated against COVID-19. She said that there is a “100-percent vaccination rate” among the prime minister, ministers and their deputies. 

The Armenia Alliance, the largest opposition parliamentary faction, has expressed its disapproval of the vaccine mandate. In a statement released on September 10, the Armenia Alliance said that the choice to get vaccinated should be “everyone’s conscious decision, not a mandate.” The coalition also argued that the government should subsidize the cost of PCR tests for workers.

On Tuesday, the MoH received a new batch of 400,000 Chinese-produced Sinopharm vaccines. The Russian-made Sputnik V jab and AstraZeneca have also been available in Armenia since May. Armenia also received a supply of Moderna shots, developed at a firm led by Diasporan Armenian Noubar Afeyan. 

Despite the government push for vaccinations, the dramatic rise in coronavirus infections has strained the capacity of the healthcare system. As of October 28, all beds at the 27 hospitals treating coronavirus patients nationwide were occupied. Consequently, 200 people requiring treatment could not be admitted to a hospital. 

An overwhelming majority of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were not vaccinated. Among the 1,500 patients in critical condition, 99-percent were unvaccinated. Overall, 97-percent of the 3,100 total coronavirus patients were unvaccinated. 

Authorities have also registered a number of cases of vaccination fraud since the decree came into effect on October 1. On October 12, the Armenian National Security Service detained six healthcare workers in Gyumri for issuing fake vaccine certificates to over 700 people. Authorities say the hospital employees accepted bribes ranging from 5,000-10,000 drams, or about $10-$20, in exchange for fake papers. 

Besides the vaccination mandate, the government has also made mask-wearing compulsory in public spaces. The government instituted an outdoor mask mandate as of November 1 in order to curb the spread of infections. 

Armenian schools have been closed for the first time in almost a year. On October 25, the Ministry of Education (MoE) announced its decision to close universities and colleges until November 15 in order to contain the spread. Higher education institutions have been offering remote virtual learning. The MoE also extended a one-week autumn vacation for primary and secondary schools. This is the first time that schools in Armenia have closed since they reopened in December 2020 following an earlier peak in COVID-19 cases during the Artsakh War. 

In spite of the accelerated spread of the coronavirus, authorities have made it clear that they will not enforce a nationwide lockdown. PM Nikol Pashinyan said he will not shut down businesses during a weekly cabinet session on October 28. “We believe that we should not opt for lockdowns and must work in the two directions,” he said, referring to vaccinations and mask-wearing. 

Instead, the PM is encouraging Armenians to get vaccinated as soon as possible. “There are questions regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines. I want to bring a personal example,” he said. “Six people in my family are vaccinated, except for the two underaged kids. Recently my 14-year-old daughter caught the virus…But nobody else in my family got it despite finding out late and having been in intensive contact with her.”

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Lillian Avedian

Lillian Avedian is the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly. She reports on international women's rights, South Caucasus politics, and diasporic identity. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Democracy in Exile, and Girls on Key Press. She holds master's degrees in journalism and Near Eastern studies from New York University.

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