First batch of Russian Sputnik - V vaccines arrives in Armenia

YEREVAN, April 8. /ARKA/. The first batch of Russian Sputnik - V vaccines against Covid-19 has arrived in Armenia aboard a plane that landed at Armenia's Zvartnots airport in the early hours of April 8, the office of Rossotrudnichestvo (Russian federal agency for the CIS affairs, compatriots living abroad, and international humanitarian cooperation) in Yerevan said on its Facebook page.

The first batch of the vaccines - 15 thousand doses - was welcomed by Pavel Kurochkin, a Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Armenia and the head of Armenia's National Center for Disease Control and Prevention Artavazd Vanyan. The representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Yerevan Andranik Arzumanyan was also present.

According to Kurochkin, first of all, the population at risk will be vaccinated. "This is part of the large-scale support provided to Armenia in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. It is a vivid example of our allied cooperation and fraternal relations between our peoples," Kurochkin said.

Yesterday in Moscow, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia needs more than one million doses of coronavirus vaccine

"We hope to purchase a large number of Russian vaccines because they have shown their effectiveness. It is very important that the Republic of Armenia has the opportunity to purchase this vaccine," he said.

Putin noted that vaccine production in Russia is increasing. 'Therefore, I think that we will solve this problem not to the detriment of Russian citizens and consumers,” he said.

Earlier, Armenia's Ministry of Health imported 24 thousand doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organization’s global vaccine-sharing scheme.

The Armenian Ministry of Health said it will use the doses of the vaccine to inoculate medical workers, care home personnel, persons aged 65 and older as well as younger people suffering from chronic diseases. -0-