ALARM: We Went to Get Vaccinated with 6 People, Came Home Infected with COVID-19 – Former Assistant to the Minister of Economy

The former assistant to the Minister of Economy, Lusine Hovhannisyan, writes on her Facebook page:

“I have been vaccinated, but for the past 6 days, I have been infected with COVID. Dear Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, Anahit Avanesyan, and Government, before banging the drum about getting vaccinated, at least make sure that the processes are organized correctly.

I will share our story, which I am sure is not the only one. We went to get vaccinated with 6 people, three of whom were individuals in the at-risk category, including a person with diabetes. We received our first dose and then returned home infected with COVID. Today I was called by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention to check how I am handling the illness. Of course, I appreciate that you are paying attention to me as a small part of the statistics, but the responsible authorities should organize the processes better instead.

Now let me explain: To get vaccinated at the polyclinic, one must first approach a therapist to fill out a questionnaire and prepare the vaccination card. This process can take a long time, considering the huge lines, which is natural since the polyclinic's only issue is not the organization of vaccinations. As a result, both the vaccinated person and the COVID-infected person are waiting in the same line to be served. It is natural, isn’t it, that after waiting for a long time in line together, the vaccinated person can also get infected—especially considering that people do not wear their masks correctly (I am not only talking about wearing the mask under the nose but also about not changing the mask every few hours).

If you have not yet found a solution to the problem, I suggest two things—short-term and long-term:

1. For a short-term solution, you can organize the process on site. It is not mandatory for the doctor to fill out the vaccination card; I have easily answered the questions there with my school-level biology knowledge, so this can also be done by nurses and aides. Moreover, organize the process in such a way that, right from the entrance of the polyclinic, those going for vaccination are separated from others and guided to a separate area, thus excluding the contact of already infected individuals with those going for vaccination.

2. For a long-term solution, digitize the system so that the management is also effective. For example, the most primitive thing, which is not even a long-term fix, simply requires additional costs—place a device near the entrance of the polyclinic so that people can take tickets and approach the relevant area. I specifically note that vaccinated individuals and those infected with COVID should not approach the same person or be in the same place.

Governance and petty populism are two very different things. Besides shouting at every government meeting, urging people, self-promoting on social media, starting #IAmVaccinated campaigns, and posting emotional statuses about public health, think about effective governance.

Thank you, and stay healthy.”