COVID-19 Vaccine Prices and Import Timeline to Armenia: Expert Outlines

The Ministry of Health of Armenia is negotiating to obtain a limited quantity of either the Russian or American COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January.

According to a report by Armenpress, this was stated by Gayane Sahakyan, Deputy Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, during a discussion titled "COVID-19 Vaccine: When and From Which Country will it Arrive in Armenia."

"The Ministry of Health started negotiations in July. We are negotiating with both individual manufacturers and international organizations. During this period, the 'COVAX Facility' initiative was created, and countries are gradually becoming involved in this initiative. Joint efforts for vaccine procurement would enable countries to ensure both accessibility and affordability. We are talking about large volumes of doses," Sahakyan noted, adding that negotiations are currently underway for the Russian 'Sputnik-V' vaccine.

According to her, the Russian side is offering countries a standard market price, with no difference based on location. The proposal includes two doses, which translates to approximately $20 for one person.

The 'COVAX Facility' has preliminarily set the price for a single dose at $10.5. However, we can already see opportunities to acquire it for even lower prices, potentially down to $6 per dose. Currently, the most expensive vaccine on the market is considered to be that of Moderna, but we still do not know what price 'COVAX' will propose for it," Sahakyan added.