The European Union (EU) and WHO have delivered 30 medical refrigerators for vaccine storage to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are adequately stored all over the country. The refrigerators, which arrived on 27 August 2021, are designed to store vaccines at a stable temperature to ensure they remain safe and effective.
The delivery is part of a major effort by the EU and WHO/Europe to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination and strengthen routine immunization systems in Armenia. Among other actions, 1000 sets of emergency anaphylaxis kits, used in the event of a severe allergic reaction following vaccination, have already been delivered to primary healthcare facilities and regional hubs of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Armenia.
“We consider it essential to supply primary healthcare facilities and regional hubs with necessary equipment to support deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in the country,” said Oleg Storozhenko, the Special Representative of WHO in Armenia. “In cooperation with our national partners, we are also working to strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals and raise awareness about COVID-19 vaccination among primary healthcare professionals and the general population.”
“The EU is honoured to provide assistance to Armenia jointly with the WHO in order to strengthen capacities of the healthcare sector and to contain the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Jan Plešinger, Chargé d'affaires a.i. at the EU Delegation to Armenia. “The refrigerators will be used to keep vaccines at a stable temperature, thus offering safer storage facilities, and consequently benefiting Armenian citizens. We need to patiently continue the fight against this pandemic together.”
Eastern Partnership project
The EU and WHO/Europe are working together to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in the 6 EU Eastern Partnership countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The project, funded by the EU and implemented by WHO/Europe, covers all phases – constituting end-to-end support – of COVID-19 vaccine deployment and vaccination and serves as a major investment to strengthen routine immunization systems in the 6 countries.