JAM News
May 8 2020
12 Armenian ambulance medics have been infected with coronavirus. This was announced on May 7 by Taguhi Stepanyan, director of the Yerevan ambulance service.
Earlier, Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said that there are 320 infected medical workers in the country, meaning that these cases make up about 13%.
Armenia declared a state of emergency, in effect from March 16 to May 14, to combat the spread of coronavirus. However, on May 4, restrictions were lifted on the service sector, commerce, and most industrial enterprises, as well as street cafes and restaurants.
As of May 7, there are 2884 reported cases of infection in Armenia. 1185 patients have been cured, and 42 people could not be saved.
Details about the infected medics
The director of the Yerevan ambulance service said that the infected employees have no clinical symptoms and are being isolated.
Some ambulance medics refused to work with coronavirus patients. These workers were usually over the age of 55 and decided to take a vacation from work.
Taguhi Stepanyan says that the number of times the ambulance was called during the state of emergency was no higher than usual. In March and April, the service received about 650 calls per day, whereas in January and February, the number was close to 950. For comparison, last year during this period there were 850 calls per day. The director of the service associates this small difference with seasonal respiratory diseases that are not related to coronavirus.
She also reported that from March to May 6, the ambulance service transported 2,333 suspected coronavirus patients to the hospital. These were patients with problems typical of acute respiratory infections and pneumonia.
Taguhi Stepanyan also says that in April, doctors, nurses and emergency medical aid drivers were given bonuses. By order of the Mayor of Yerevan, doctors received 95,000 drams (about $200), and nurses and ambulance drivers received 70,000 drams (about $150).