Too early to predict 'coronavirus retreat' in Armenia, chief pathologist of Yerevan warns

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's positive outlook on the coronavirus dynamics in Armenia cannot be treated as a realistic estimate without proper testing procedures, says Armen Mkhitaryan, the chief pathologist of Yerevan and the head of the Armenian Association of Pathologists and Cytologists.

"Perhaps, the practice of wearing masks yielded a certain result, but I still remain deeply convinced that unless large-scale testing is carried out, it will not be clear at what stage the virus is now," he told Tert.am on Thursday, commenting on the premier's remark voiced at the cabinet meeting.

"It isn't time to speak so confidently about the retreat of this virus. I don't think that mask-wearing had a great impact on the decreasing number of infections. It is very good of course that the figures are falling, but that is what was logically expected to happen, as any infection process has its biological progression after all. If we draw comparisons with the countries which took no anti-epidemiological measure, we cannot be said to have come out with more brilliant results than they did," the specialist said, dismissing the speculations that hand decontamination or face masks could have essentially contributed to the lower figures.