YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should only be given to people over the age of 55, the Armenian health authorities decided.

Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan said the age limit is set for “extra safety and precaution”.

“We’ve scrutinized consultations issued by specialized organizations and decided that we will also set an age limit for AstraZeneca vaccinations, the shot will be given only to people over the age of 55,” she said.

At-risk people will be prioritized under the following categories: people over the age of 65, health workers over the age of 55, people with chronic health conditions over the age of 55 and nursery workers and residents over 55.

“Because the Sputnik V vaccine batch we have is limited, we’ve set the guidelines for its use as follows – health worker aged 18 to 54, people with chronic health conditions below 54, and nursing home workers and residents below 55,” she added.

Avanesyan says the guidelines will be revised and the over-65 group will be added if more Sputnik V doses are supplied.

24000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were supplied to Armenia through COVAX Facility. Then, the first batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine comprising 15000 doses was also imported.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan