COVID19: Armenia breaks chain of transmission in Vagharshapat

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. 4 new COVID19 cases have been diagnosed in Armenia, bringing the total cumulative number to 194, PM Nikol Pashinyan said on social media.

Two of the patients have recovered while the remaining are hospitalized.

He said that the authorities have succeeded in breaking the chain of transmission of the Vagharshapat (Etchmiatsin) source. The vast majority (75%) of COVID19 cases are linked to imported cases in Etchmiatsin and in a manufacturing plant in Yerevan.

“As of this moment we have succeeded in breaking the chain of transmission of the Etchmiatsin branch, now we are working on stopping the further development of the manufacturing plant branch,” he said.

The novel coronavirus infection in Etchmiatsin started from an imported case, when a local resident returned from Italy and infected her direct contacts. All contacts were traced and quarantined. Etchmiatsin was briefly put on partial lockdown afterwards.

The infection cases in the Yerevan manufacturing plant was also imported from Italy, when an infected Italian worker visited the facility.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan