Armenia changes vaccination policy as Iranian vaccine tourists flock

Exact numbers of the Iranians coming to get vaccinated aren’t available, but vaccination points in Yerevan -- which have been offering walk-up shots of AstraZeneca to anyone, including foreigners, since May -- have in recent weeks had long lines of nearly all Iranians.

In Armenia, vaccine skepticism is high and the AstraZeneca vaccine has been especially unwanted because of some well-publicized problems in Europe and in neighboring Georgia. So the government has taken the unusual step of allowing even non-resident foreigners to get the shot at walk-up clinics in Yerevan.

The government of Armenia does not provide statistics on how many foreigners have received the jab, which they can get simply by showing their passport and undergoing a blood pressure check. The country had vaccinated a total of 108,000 people as of July 11, and it’s not known how many of those are Armenians and how many foreigners.

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