YEREVAN -- Armenia on October 26 reported record-high coronavirus-related deaths amid a surge in infections and low vaccination rates in the South Caucasus nation.
Health authorities registered 57 COVID-19 deaths over the past day, the highest figure since the start of the pandemic.
The diseased has claimed the lives of more than 330 Armenians over the past week alone, while new infections also reached new highs during that period.
The official death toll from the disease in the country of about 3 million now stands at 6,112.
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A total of 1,517 new coronavirus cases were recorded over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total cumulative infections in the country to nearly 300,000.
Health Minister Anahit Avanesian warned on October 24 that Armenian hospitals are “on the verge” of running out of beds for new COVID-19 patients. He also urged Armenians to “put on masks everywhere” and get vaccinated.
Many Armenians still do not wear mandatory masks indoors, including on overcrowded public buses.
With less than 10 percent of Armenia’s population fully vaccinated so far, Armenia has Europe's lowest vaccination rate.
As health authorities struggled to cope with the new wave of infections, the Education Ministry has ordered universities to revert to online classes and extended school holidays.
The order, effective from October 26, requires all universities and colleges to provide their students with distance courses until November 15.
A one-week autumn break in primary, secondary, and high schools, which began on October 25, was extended until November 7.