Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan on Thursday, April 1 defended Armenia's purchase of 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, maintaining that reported side effects linked to the vaccine have not been proved.

Avanesyan said the country will use the jabs from AstraZeneca and other manufacturers that have been approved by international agencies as producing effective and safe drugs, the Armenian Service of RFE/RL reports.

"A number of countries have temporarily halted [vaccination with AstraZeneca shots], some others have resumed, while many had not abandoned [the program] in the first place," the Health Minister said when asked about the safety of the jabs.

The first batch of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine will be used to inoculate people aged over 65, those who have underlying health conditions, medical workers, residents and staff of elderly care centers, as well as social care center employees.

The Chief of the Prime Minister's Staff, ex-Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said earlier that the Armenian government is planning to purchase several hundred thousand doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus.