10:18,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker Tsovinar Vardanyan from the ruling My Step bloc says she has received the AstraZeneca shot against COVID-19, as health authorities have been urging citizens to get vaccinated to lower the coronavirus infections rate in the country.

Asked why she chose the AstraZeneca vaccine given the media reports regarding safety concerns, Vardanyan told ARMENPRESS she did so in order to answer to these “speculations”.

“I studied the local and international news reports, I can say that they really are just speculations. I’ve also consulted with doctors who assured me that there is no problem,” she said.

Vardanyan said her other colleagues in the Armenian parliament are also planning to get the shot.

Armenia received 24,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on March 28.

Then, on April 8, 15,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine were imported. Another batch of the Russian vaccine for 14000 persons was imported on April 26.

Armenian authorities had earlier restricted the use of AstraZeneca to over 55s but the decision was then cancelled and now all adults are eligible to get the vaccine.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan