Armenia completing negotiations on supply of Russian vaccines against Covid-19

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Armenia's Health Ministry is completing negotiations on concluding an agreement with Russia on the supply of Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan told reporters on Thursday.

Armenian Ministry of Health on February 1 this year approved the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.

“We are working on two sites for the procurement of vaccines: one of them is an international site where countries are negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to obtain vaccines on more favorable conditions. Bilateral negotiations are also underway with Russia and we are already completing the conclusion of an agreement and the first batch of Russian vaccine Sputnik V will soon arrive, ” Avanesyan said.

She decline to indicate the cost of the agreement with Russia and the number of vaccines to be delivered to Armenia, saying these numbers will be made public once the agreement is signed.

In response to various reports about the negative side effects of the vaccine, including deaths, the minister said that the ministry is monitoring these reports closely based on research from specialized groups.

'The choice of a vaccine is determined based on the results of discussions among professional groups,” Avanesyan said.

At the same time, the minister recalled that vaccination will not be compulsory.

Earlier, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova visited Yerevan and handed over to Armenia samples of  the Sputnik V vaccine for vaccinating 15 people.

At a press conference in early January, Deputy Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention Gayane Sahakyan, who was one of the vaccinated people, said that patients who received the Russian-made vaccine in Armenia had no side-effects. -0-