The General Department of Prisons (GDP) said the health conditions of detainees who have contracted Covid-19 have improved, while those who have other chronicle diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis have been admitted to hospitals outside the prison as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

GDP said Covid-19 cases had been detected at a number of prisons in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Kandal, Kampong Speu, and Banteay Meanchey. In Preah Sihanouk, most Covid-19 positive inmates have recovered.

“The Covid-19 test positivity rare at these prisons is between 10 and 20 per cent of the total detainees. We have separated them and isolated Covid-19 positive inmates,” it said.

GDP noted that treatment for Covid-19-infected detainees is administered according to health guidelines with good care and nutritious food provided to them. The detainees have also been provided with hot lemonade juice, hot lemongrass water, hot ginger water and allowed to do exercise regularly.

According to GDP, more than 10,000 detainees in the capital and Preah Sihanouk province have been inoculated with both doses of the Sinovac vaccine.

“Samdech Prime Minister [Hun Sen] has recently provided additional 6,760 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, marketed as CoviShield, to be administered to detainees in the provincial prisons of Kandal, Kampong Speu, Banteay Meanchey and Svay Rieng,” it said.

Figures for Covid-19 positive inmates throughout the country have not been made public.