President Aliyev comments on coronavirus disease situation in Azerbaijan

According to the recent statistics on vaccination, some 64% of the population above 18 years old has been double jabbed, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local TV channels, Report informs.

"In addition, more than 1,500,000 people, including myself, have received their booster dose. It is the first time that I have said this. I have been vaccinated for the third time, and I recommend that everyone does this," the head of state said on January 12.

"Currently, most countries face the problem of the number of patients and hospital beds shortage. In our country, the situation is positive. At the moment, we have 10,000 hospital beds, with only 10% occupied. That is, there are 9,000 vacant beds. If, God forbid, the pandemic acquires a larger scale, we have enough capacity. Another important issue is the number of beds in intensive care. Their number in Azerbaijan reaches 875, with only 26% occupied at present," the leader said, adding that for this reason, almost all restrictions have been removed in the country.

"Most countries are currently reimposing lockdowns. It harms people's psychological state and economic activity. But we act in line with the situation. In other words, what is important here is to minimize the volume of the virus spread. I also want to note that the population of Azerbaijan acts responsibly. We have no anti-coronavirus tendencies or campaigns. People go and vaccinate, understanding that it protects them. The mortality among vaccinated people is very low. Most of my acquaintances had milder symptoms when they got infected after vaccination. I also know some people who contracted omicron and recovered within five or six days without serious symptoms. Probably, omicron is a weaker virus. But I am not an expert on this issue, and I don't want to voice any serious thoughts in this regard. However, my observations show that it is more contagious but less dangerous," the head of state said.