At today’s government cabinet session, Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan told his colleagues that he expected to see a vaccine for the coronavirus by the end of this year or by early 2021, but warning that some countries might gobble up supplies from the start, leaving others without.

Torosyan, who said he talked to the commercial director of Moderna, one of the companies working on a vaccine, advised the government to start negotiating now to acquire any future vaccine.

“The fact that it will happen, and we will return to our normal lives without masks and without following the rest of the rules, is already gratifying,” Torosyan said.

Turning to the numbers, Torosyan reported that out of 2,100 people tested for the coronavirus in the past day 593 tested positive, raising the total number to date to 26,658.

The minister added that six people died in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll so far to 459.

Of the 650 Covid-19 patients deemed in very serious condition, Torosyan said that 44 are now on respirators. Eleven people throughout the country are waiting for hospital beds.

Chief of Police Vahe Ghazaryan then too the floor, announcing that the police are conducting 800-900 inspections of business per day to see that health guidelines are in force.