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Armenia has confirmed 121 new cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, with 36 new recoveries and 4 more deaths, Minster of Health Arsen Torosyan told a sitting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health and Social Affairs on Monday, presenting updates on the coronavirus situation in the country.

According to the minister, the coronavirus death toll is 39 in the country, adding four other patients diagnosed with coronavirus died from another disease on Sunday.

"At the moment, 1,393 citizens are under medical supervision. A total of 765 tests were carried out yesterday, bringing the total number of tests to 25,000,” the official said.

Torosyan said as of Sunday 9 coronavirus patients were put on ventilators, 35 patients were in critical condition, while 65 others were in grave condition.

"2,000 citizens are at quarantine locations. We have around 350 free beds in hospitals, because some citizens get 'medical care' in hotels die to having no symptoms. This approach will continue as long as we have a hotel and bed fund, that is, asymptomatic cases will receive ‘medical care’ in hotels, while the citizens in moderate and grave conditions will be treated by a special bed fund allocated for coronavirus, which may also expand. But at the moment there is no such decision,” Torosyan said.

He noted that 6 medical facilities are treating coronavirus patients in Yerevan and Artashat, with the infectious disease hospitals in Kapan, Vanadzor and Gyumri set to serve the same purpose. 

Commenting on the remarks that the number of coronavirus tests in Armenia is small, Torosyan said that in terms of the number of performed tests, for example, the UAE exceeds Armenia by 10 times, but the number of tests carried out in Armenia is equal to the numbers of Japan and Italy.

"Our testing capacities will continue to grow, which is not an easy task, in fact, as it requires three key components: biosafety, equipment and personnel,” he stressed.