The Ministry of Health continues to encourage local authorities to motivate the public to make sure their Covid-19 vaccinations are as up-to-date as possible.

Prime Minister Hun Sen recently issued a reminder that the virus remains a threat to public safety, despite the low number of positive cases appearing in the community.

Or Vandine, ministry secretary of state and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, once again remind the public not to procrastinate or delay in obtaining their latest vaccination.

During a recent visit to Stung Treng and Ratanakkiri provinces, Vandine explained that a large delay between boosters could lead to a reduction in the immune system’s ability to withstand an attack by the virus.

“I request that all medical teams and local authorities continue to promote the importance of Covid-19 vaccination, and encourage everyone to take advantage of the free inoculations, as soon as the time is right,” she said.

“Too long of a delay could result in a person’s immunity falling to almost zero,” she warned.

On March 16, the prime minister said that although the number of Covid-19 infections had dropped – with zero new cases being reported on several days – he still urged caution.

“We have not yet seen the end of the pandemic. We must not give up the preventative measures that have served us so well thus far. Please, continue to observe the three dos and don’ts, and make sure your boosters are up to date,” he added.

According to the health ministry, 95.49 per cent of the Kingdom’s 16 million people are now vaccinated against the disease. More than 10.6 million have received a third jab, with over 5 million taking a fourth. The fifth shot has been administered to more than 1.7 million people, with over 310,000 taking their sixth.