“…As a LMIC country in transition, where around half of the population is dissatisfied with the health system (Footman et al, 2013) and one-quarter of the population does not trust doctors and nurses (Wellcome Global Monitor, 2019), Armenia makes an ideal case for tackling the research question posed. On top of the low trust in the healthcare system, Armenia is characterized by relatively high levels of poverty (23.5%; Armstat, 2019) and corruption (Gallup, 2019). That being said, the share of Government expenditure devoted to public health in Armenia is lower than the world average (e.g., Lavado et al, 2018), 5 which implies that the public healthcare system in Armenia is not in good shape to fight COVID-19 once the cases increase.…”