Health officials have predicted that the Omicron coronavirus variant will spread widely across the globe in 2022, with Cambodia reporting four imported cases in one week.

“I predict that 2022 will be the year of Omicron travelling around the world including Cambodia. So, be vigilant and be prepared for any surge,” Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine tweeted on December 19.

In a press statement on December 19, the ministry said the latest two Omicron cases were two Cambodian women, aged 47 and 33, who travelled from the US and France.

The ministry said one woman travelled from the US and transited through South Korea before arriving in Cambodia on December 16, while the other woman departed from France and transited through Singapore, arriving in Cambodia on December 17.

“Upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, both women took rapid tests with positive results. Their samples were then sent to the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge for a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test which confirmed that they carried Omicron,” said the ministry.

The latest cases added to the previous two found on a pregnant Cambodian woman returning from Ghana on December 14 and on a 25-year-old Iranian traveller on December 17.

The four patients are currently being treated at the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (CENAT) in Phnom Penh. There have been no reported local infections with this new variant so far in Cambodia, and the government has called on the public to take precautionary measures rather than panic.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has reiterated his calls for the public not to panic, even though more Omicron cases were recorded.

“Like I said earlier, we must not panic with this variant. Omicron has not killed anyone other than in one case reported in the UK,” Hun Sen said during his speech at the inauguration ceremony of Morodok Techo National Stadium on December 18.

He said that instead of panicking, the public must follow the preventive measures against Covid-19 in order for Cambodia to avoid future lockdowns.

Vandine said there is no confirmed finding that Omicron is more dangerous than other variants such as Delta and Alpha, only that it spreads faster than others.

“We must not panic, but don't be brave to the point of foolishness. We must have a balance of living in the new normal with precautions,” she said during the ceremonial handover of administrative and medical supplies from a Christianity community in Cambodia to the Chaktomuk Referral Hospital on December 17.

“We have to practice the three dos and three don'ts guideline and get vaccinated.”

Cambodia has been one of the most successful countries in the world for Covid-19 vaccinations with nearly 89 per cent of the country’s population of around 16 million having been vaccinated as of December 18.

In the last five days, the number of new Covid-19 infections has dropped to less than 10. On December 18, the ministry reported a record low number of infections with just five, the lowest since the community outbreak began last February 20.

“Although the number of new infections remains low, the virus will not disappear and everyone is still required to learn to live with it in the new normal,” Vandine said.

The four patients are currently being treated at the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (CENAT) in Phnom Penh. There have been no reported local infections with this new variant so far in Cambodia, and the government has called on the public to take precautionary measures rather than panic.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has reiterated his calls for the public not to panic, even though more Omicron cases were recorded.

“Like I said earlier, we must not panic with this variant. Omicron has not killed anyone other than in one case reported in the UK,” Hun Sen said during his speech at the inauguration ceremony of Morodok Techo National Stadium on December 18.

He said that instead of panicking, the public must follow the preventive measures against Covid-19 in order for Cambodia to avoid future lockdowns.

Vandine has said there is no confirmed finding that Omicron is more dangerous than other variants such as Delta and Alpha, only that it spreads faster than others.

“We must not panic, but don’t be brave to the point of foolishness. We must have a balance of living in the new normal with precautions,” she said during the ceremonial handover of administrative and medical supplies from a Christianity community in Cambodia to the Chaktomuk Referral Hospital on December 17.

“We have to practice the three dos and three don’ts guideline and get vaccinated.”

Cambodia has been one of the most successful countries in the world for Covid-19 vaccinations with nearly 89 per cent of the country’s population of around 16 million having been vaccinated as of December 18.

In the last five days, the number of new Covid-19 infections has dropped to less than 10. On December 18, the ministry reported a record low number of infections with just five, the lowest since the community outbreak began last February 20.

“Although the number of new infections remains low, the virus will not disappear and everyone is still required to learn to live with it in the new normal,” Vandine said.