Armenia designates more hospitals for coronavirus cases

 10:30,

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Because of the growing number of novel coronavirus patients in Armenia, healthcare authorities have designated other hospitals in addition to the Nork Infectious Diseases hospital to treat the cases, Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan said.

Earlier, all suspected and confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Armenia were being taken to the Nork Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yerevan.

Torosyan said on March 21 that 5 medical facilities have been designated to treat coronavirus patients in Yerevan. He said that few patients are also currently hospitalized in two hospitals in provinces.

“Asymptomatic patients are being taken to other hospitals, the others remain at the [Nork Infectious Diseases hospital]”, he said.

The healthcare minister said so far 11 patients have been confirmed to have pneumonia by x-ray tests. Only 3 of them require intensive care. Torosyan said all patients are in non-life threatening condition.

“I’d like to inform that today there are more than 600 people under quarantine. We find that the reserve is nearing its end, and we find that the preventive measures must be conditioned with self-quarantine. Experience shows that our citizens not always adhere to it. That’s why the parliament debated during a special session the bill on envisaging liability for the violation of self-quarantine or quarantine. I believe that this is a reasonable requirement, when a citizen is endangering public health, they must be held to account,” Torosyan said on social media.

As of March 21, the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Armenia stands at 160.

One patient has recovered and was discharged on March 15th.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan