The Japanese government will donate 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to Cambodia to add to the one million doses it has already delivered.

The vaccines, which Japan is licensed to produce, will be shipped to Phnom Penh on December 19 with the logistical arrangements made by the Covax Facility.

“I hope that these vaccines will contribute towards further social and economic recovery as well as helping to relieve the anxiety of the Cambodian people,” Japanese ambassador Masahiro Mikami said in a press release.

The recent spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant across the globe has made booster vaccinations and strengthening the healthcare system in Cambodia among the top priorities for the government right now, he said.

To date, Japan has provided a total of $60 million in pandemic-related assistance to Cambodia. This includes donations of medical supplies and equipment, renovation of hospitals, support through international organisations for infection prevention measures at the borders, and the provision of equipment to properly transport and store vaccines.

The Japanese government has also provided a loan of approximately $227 million which is being used to provide financial support to people affected by Covid-19 and to strengthen parts of Cambodia’s healthcare system, he added.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the [Cambodian government] and all of the medical professionals who have put measures in place to fight Covid-19. I would like to send my best wishes to all of the people who are dealing with this difficult situation.

“Japan would like to continue to cooperate and work together with its important friend Cambodia in our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I sincerely hope that the global situation will improve quickly and that the exchanges between our two countries and across the world will resume. I sincerely wish for good health and safety for all people living in Cambodia,” Mikami said.

Separately, the Ministry of Health issued a directive on December 16 to private healthcare providers to use the Covid-19 vaccine registration system, which is the only national database administered by the ministry’s national Covid-19 vaccination committee in an attempt to facilitate data verification of Covid-19 vaccination cards and certificates.

This practice is to ensure that data records on Covid-19 vaccinations and vaccination cards issued by private healthcare providers follow the same standards the government does and to avoid the creation of multiple duplicate immunisation and vaccination card records, which would make it difficult to recognise whether they are legitimate or not.

Private healthcare providers are advised to use the card template published by the health ministry and to record the information on vaccinees accurately in the Covid-19 vaccination database and on the vaccination cards.

“Private healthcare providers authorised to provide Covid-19 vaccinations shall designate the person responsible for data entry into the Covid-19 vaccination system and shall apply to the national Covid-19 vaccination committee for access to the user account and password for login.

“The user account and password must not be shared with others,” the directive noted.