«We Have Little Time to Curb Possible New Wave» - Elinar Vardanyan

As of January 22, Armenia has reported 940 new cases of coronavirus. The cases were confirmed following 5,812 tests conducted.

The Alternative Projects group presents an article by Elinar Vardanyan: "It is clear that the confirmed cases do not reflect the real picture of the infection. The Omicron variant is characterized by mild symptoms, and there are many people around us who are likely infected but have not been tested. Most of the 5,812 tests were conducted by people leaving Armenia; the rest were part of mandatory testing at workplaces. This is very little to understand the true picture of Omicron in Armenia. I want to emphasize again that the world is moving towards mass free testing with rapid tests being provided. In a country like ours, which has a high level of poverty, testing is left to individuals, who understandably will not do it.

The Omicron variant spreads twice as fast and poses a serious threat to the healthcare system. Rapid transmission will lead to an increase in hospitalization rates. At this pace, we will not have a real picture of the infection and will be unable to properly assess hospitalization capacities. Once again, we are trailing behind the situation without trying to take steps to prevent it. We have little time to curb a possible new wave."