After today’s regular meeting of the Commandant’s Office, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a news briefing with Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan and coordinator of the French team of doctors, Professor at the Paris Clinic Alexander Mignon.

The Prime Minister said the epidemiological situation is still serious in Armenia. The situation has been stabilized recently, but we have no guarantees of continued stability.

“Unfortunately, the epidemiological situation remains serious in Armenia. While we can say that we have a fairly stable situation, the problem is that we have no guarantees that stability will be maintained. The only tool is the most stringent observance of anti-epidemic rules by all residents of the Republic of Armenia. We will continue with the ongoing widespread awareness raising campaign to ensure that our compatriots abide by three simple anti-epidemic rules,” Nikol Pashinyan said. The Premier further said that the main task was being solved and the prices for masks were falling in the market.

Another key task for the Government is to develop healthcare capacity, so that coronavirus-infected patients are provided with premium-quality services. The Prime Minister reminded that Armenia had purchased a large number of oxygen devices at the expense of the state budget.

Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan advised that several new medical institutions will join the newly created coronavirus control system in Armenia. “Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, several new medical facilities with their beds, as well as resuscitation beds, will join the newly created system for combating coronavirus. A large volume will be added to the Dilijan Medical Center, where a small part of the potential is being used at this point of time. Armenia Medical Center will join the campaign on June 24 with 50 regular beds and 8 intensive care wards,” Torosyan said, noting that the process was slowing down mainly due to the supply of oxygen systems.

The medical centers of Spitak and Martuni are going to join the system with around 50 beds currently available. The Vedi Medical Center has already done so. The Minister stressed that this is an unprecedented mobilization of healthcare resources - both human and construction, technical and financial. However this is not supposed to make up for the required anti-crisis action in any way. At the same time, the minister noted that as of late June 21, no infected citizen was left without in-patient care.

“The number of citizens in need of hospitalization was 150-200 over the past week. Some of them were at home, that is, they were waiting for hospitalization, and some were in other medical centers. Last night we had no citizens waiting at home as a matter of fact. All those diagnosed with COVID-19 are being hospitalized, and we can state that this problem has been resolved,” Torosyan said.

627 patients with COVID-19 are in serious and extremely serious condition. “At the moment we have 504 patients in serious, 123 patients in extremely serious condition, and 44 patients are connected to TRS devices. That makes a total of 627 patients in serious and extremely serious condition which is alarming,” Minister Torosyan pointed out.

In turn, Alexander Mignon said another group of foreign doctors are due to arrive in Armenia on Wednesday, including Armenian doctors from the Diaspora. “This time, a large number of Diaspora-based doctors will be involved in the mission. They are happy to be of service,” he said, adding that compliance with all anti-epidemic rules is the main means of combating the disease.

“Having 100 newly infected people means that 15 of them will be hospitalized; 5 of them shall end up in the ICU, 2 of them may die. That is the dynamics. I am deeply impressed by all those doctors I met in Armenia. They are all very tired, they are already on the verge of exhaustion, but they keep working night and day,” he said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan thanked French doctors for coming to Armenia and helping our medical system.