VACCINATIONS

Vaccines available in Armenia

Currently, there are five types of vaccines available in Armenia, which are:

Vaccine Brand Name	Type	Who can get this vaccine	How Many Shots You Will Need	When Are You Fully Vaccinated?
Astrazeneca (Vaxzevria)	Vector	People 18 years and older	2 shots Given 8-12 weeks apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Sputnik V	Vector	Vector	2 shots Given 21 days apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Moderna	Vector	People 18 years and older	2 shots Given 28 days apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Coronavac-Sinovac	Inactivated	People 18 years and older	2 shots Given 28 days apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Sinopharm	Inactivated	People 18 years and older	2 shots Given 28 days apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Pfizer	mRNA	People 18 years and older	2 shots Given 3-8 weeks apart	2 weeks after 2nd shot
Sputnik Light	Vector	People 18 years and older	1 shot	4 weeks after the shot

AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria)

●   Country of origin: UK (Sweden)
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule ³
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection ³
●   The duration between first and second dose: The second injection can be given between 8 and 12 weeks after the first injection¹.

On 15 February 2021, WHO listed two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford** COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for these vaccines to be rolled out globally through COVAX. The vaccines are produced by AstraZeneca-SKBio (Republic of Korea) and the Serum Institute of India.
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is a vaccine used for preventing COVID 19, caused by a virus called coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is given to adults aged 18 years and older. COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca stimulates the body’s natural defenses (immune system). It causes the body to produce its protection (antibodies) against the virus. This will help to protect you against COVID-19 in the future. None of the ingredients in this vaccine can cause COVID-19².

Sinovac (CoronaVac)

●   Country of origin: China ⁸
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule ⁷
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection ⁷
●   The duration between first and second dose: The second injection can be given 28 days after the first injection³.

On 1 June 2021, WHO validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies, and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac⁴.

Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac)

●   Country of origin: Russia ²
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule ²
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection
●   The duration between first and second dose: The second injection can be given 21 days after the first injection⁵.

Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vak) vaccine has been approved for use in 69 countries².

The use of two varying serotypes, which are given 21 days apart, is intended to overcome any pre-existing adenovirus immunity in the population. Among the major COVID vaccines in development to date, only Gam-COVID-Vac uses this approach; others, such as the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, use the same material for both doses⁶.

Moderna (Spikevax)

●   Country of origin: US ¹²
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule ¹³
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection ¹³
●   Duration between first and second dose: The second injection can be given 28 days after the first injection⁷.

On 30 April 2021, WHO listed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA 1273) for emergency use, making it the fifth vaccine to receive emergency validation from WHO. The vaccine is produced by Moderna, a US pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
The Moderna vaccine has been shown to have an efficacy of approximately 94.1 percent in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose⁸.

Sinofarm (BIBP)

●   Country of origin: China
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection
●   The duration between first and second dose: The second injection can be given 3-4 weeks after the first injection⁹.

On 2 September 2021, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) has issued interim recommendations for using the Sinopharm (BIBP) vaccine against COVID-19. This vaccine is an inactivated vaccine with an adjuvant that is routinely used in many other vaccines with a documented good safety profile. A sizeable multi-country Phase 3 trial has shown that 2 doses of the vaccine, administered at an interval of 21 days, have an efficacy of 79% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection 14 or more days after the second dose. Vaccine efficacy against hospitalization was 79%⁹․

Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2)

●   Country of origin: US, Europe
●   Number of doses administered: 2-dose schedule
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection
●   The duration between first and second dose: The first and second injection should be given 21 days apart¹⁰.

On 31 December 2020, BNT162b2 was granted WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL). According to the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is safe and effective¹¹. Based on evidence from clinical trials in people ages 16 years and older, the Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) vaccine was 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 in people who received two doses and had no evidence of being previously infected¹⁰.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contains a harmless piece of messenger RNA (mRNA) which teaches cells in the body how to create an immune response to the virus that causes COVID-19¹². This response helps protect you from getting sick with COVID-19 in the future. After the body produces an immune response, it discards all vaccine ingredients, just as it would discard any substance that cells no longer need. This process is a part of normal body functioning¹⁰.

Sputnik Lite

●   Country of origin: Russia
●   Number of doses administered: 1-dose schedule
●   Site of administration: Intramuscular (upper arm) injection

Sputnik Lite is a diluted version of the Russian vector Sputnik V vaccine that does not require a second dose injection. It was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology. It was registered by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on March 29, 2021.
The vaccine was developed biotechnologically, where the human pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 virus is not used. The Sputnik Light vaccine is based on a proven, well-studied human adenovirus vector platform․ It is effective against COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and severe complications. Sputnik Light can be an effective booster for those previously infected with COVID-19 and those vaccinated with Sputnik V and other vaccines. It is effective against the Delta, Omicron, and other variants.

**Extremely rare cases of blood clots with low levels of blood platelets (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome) have been observed following vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. This included severe blood clots in different or unusual locations and excessive clotting or bleeding throughout the body. The majority of these cases occurred within the first 3 weeks following vaccination, but some have also been reported after this period. Some cases were life-threatening or had fatal outcomes. It is important to remember that vaccination's benefits to protect against COVID-19 still outweigh any potential risks¹․