Armenia flooded with Iranians after they flock to neighbouring nation for free COVID jabs

As Iranians are reportedly facing a short of COVID-19 vaccines at home, most of m are seen rushing to neighbouring Armenia in massive numbers to get iculated free of cost. Armenia has presently approved at least three COVID-19 vaccines including Russia’s Sputnik V, China’s CoronaVac and AstraZeneca’s vaccine. 

Initially, Asian country offered m without any cost to foreign visitors prompting Iranians to resort to Armenia. As per reports, Armenian Tourism Committee has said that over 8,500 Iranian nationals h visited in June, which was a surge from at least 5,000 in May. Armenia, ex-Soviet Caucasus nation, has been reportedly rolling out free doses of COVID-19 vaccines to tackle sluggish iculation due to widespre hesitancy regarding jabs. 

As per Associated Press report, Ahm Reza Bagheri, a 23-year-old jeweller at a bus stop in Tehran, said, “I just want her to get jab as soon as possible,” while pointing towards her diabetic mor who he was joining on winding 20-hour ro trip to Armenian capital, Yerevan. Meanwhile, Armenian TV reported long queues of Iranians at mobile vaccination units in Yerevan and some of foreign nationals said that y waited for several nights to get iculated. 

Foreign tourists amount to half of total iculated

Just last week, Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that foreigners including residents have accounted for up to 50% of about 110,000 people who were vaccinated in country. Meanwhile, as Iran has highest COVID-19 death toll in Middle East region, less than 2% of country’s 84 million people have received COVID-19 pandemic, as per scientific publication Our World in Data.

Even though sanction hit Iran has imported some Russian and Chinese jabs and joined UN-backed COVAX program for vaccine sharing and developed three of its doses, jabs remain scarce. Iranian authorities have yet to iculate nmedical workers and those under of 60 but officials have vowed that mass vaccinations will start in September, a move t agreeable to most Iranians who are reaching Armenia.

IM: AP