Epidemiologist evaluates the risk of a “mild covid” epidemic in Armenia

YEREVAN, December 20. /ARKA/. The “mild COVID epidemic” that recently began in Russia does not pose any threat to Armenia and will not have catastrophic consequences, said Aida Hovhannisyan, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, in an interview with Novosti-Armenia news agency.

Mass complaints from Russians about a “mild covid epidemic”, where patients experience severe body aches, headaches, and lethargy with a temperature of around 37.5°C, have been circulating on social media for several weeks now.

According to Hovhannisyan, the risk of COVID-19 spreading in Armenia has been minimized due to the large-scale efforts carried out in recent years.

“Nevertheless, monitoring and surveillance activities continue. We are now treating COVID-19 as a common acute respiratory viral infection,” Hovhannisyan said.

She also added that only 89 cases of COVID-19 infection were detected in November this year, compared to 462 cases in the same month of 2023. “Moreover, according to data from the past two weeks, we are seeing a decline in COVID-19 infections,” the expert said, noting that a similar trend is being observed globally.

The first cases of “mild COVID” were recorded in November. The symptoms are atypical for ARVI—there is no runny nose, cough, or sore throat. The illness lasts 3-5 days, and fatigue and weakness can persist for up to two weeks.