YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Although the RA Ministry of Health is trying to do everything possible to increase public interest in vaccination against the coronavirus, it is all the same; the number of [these] vaccinations in Armenia continues to alarmingly low.

Let us note that so far more than 80 thousand people in Armenia have been vaccinated; that is, about 2.9 percent of the [country’s] population. During a consultation he convened yesterday, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had considered these numbers worrying.

Zhoghovurd daily found out that another reality is hidden in these numbers and calculations. The thing is that in reality, it is not 2.9 percent of the population of Armenia that has been vaccinated, as the relevant authorities are trying to show. The thing is that a large number of the people being vaccinated [in Armenia against COVID-19] are foreigners who have been vaccinated while in Armenia, and the Ministry of Health represents that number also among the 80 thousand vaccinated people.

Zhoghovurd daily addressed RA Minister of Health spokesperson Hripsime Khachatryan, asking to provide data on how many foreigners are among the vaccinated. She assured that they do not have such separate statistics. Let us note that [coronavirus] vaccinations are carried out [in Armenia] with passport data, and [therefore] it is impossible not to find out what nationality or citizenship the person being vaccinated has.

In fact, yes, a large number of foreigners have been vaccinated [in Armenia against the coronavirus]. It turns out that foreigners receive free vaccinations at the expense of the RA state budget and return to their countries, whereas the RA citizens are not so inclined to be vaccinated.