The Ministry of Health on March 19 announced that another Covid-19 patient had died while undergoing treatment at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh.

The 62-year-old woman is known as Ngoeun Sothany, the mother of Cambodian pop singer Vy Daneth who had also tested positive for Covid-19. Sothany's husband Hour Lavy, also a popular pop singer, had tested negative.

The ministry said Sothany, who tested positive on March 10 and had pre-existing health problems, died after the virus wreaked severe damages on her lungs.

«Because the woman suffered from fatigue -- coupled with pre-existing medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabets and fatness -- she succumbed to the virus attacks on her lungs and veins,» the ministry said in a press release.

This marked the second confirmed death from Covid-19 after a 50-year-old man died from the disease on March 11.

Alarmed by the country's third community outbreak of Covid-19, which has seen cases rise to 1,062 in just one month, the ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a joint press release on March 19 urging the public to remain vigilant.

"The current Covid-19 situation in Cambodia remains serious. What we do right now will determine the course of the outbreak," said health minister Mam Bun Heng.

WHO Representative to Cambodia Li Ailan said: "The country is at a critical stage of fighting against Covid-19, but we have a window of opportunity to stop virus spread if we all act together with solidarity."

As of March 19, Cambodia had recorded a total of 1,578 cases, with 658 receiving ongoing treatment.