So Soy, 65, a veteran with disability and the four-millionth person to get the jab on Monday. SPM
The Ministry of Health has reiterated its call for the public to maintain utmost vigilance as the new Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is reportedly 15 times more infectious than the original strain, with many infections detected in Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand.
In a press statement on June 28, the ministry said: “Through the study of its transmission in other countries, it has been determined that Delta is up to 15 times more transmissible than other variants.
“Also, we do not know the extent of the spread of these new variants and where they are now. We also do not know what objects that the variant-infected patients touched. And persons with this variant may also be unaware that they are living with it,” the ministry said.
It said the spread of the new variant would result from looser preventive measures, especially when an individual moves from place to place.
Vaccination, the ministry noted, is only a tool to reduce the severity of the disease and minimise hospitalisations and deaths, but the best protection comes from following preventive measures and adaptation to the “new normal”.
“The participation of all of us plays a critical role in protecting ourselves, families and communities, allowing us to live in safety and to ensure that our livelihoods can continue,” the ministry said.
Amid the ongoing outbreak, Cambodia vaccinated its four-millionth person on June 28, reaching 40 per cent of the targeted 10 million peope aged 18 and older, according to health ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine.
As of June 28, Cambodia had received more than 11 million doses of vaccines with the latest shipment of one million doses of Sinovac arriving on June 28 from China.
“As of today, four million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. But vaccines are not the only tool to save lives.
We must act together and implement preventive measures including the ‘three protections and three don’ts,” she said.
Cambodia originally planned to vaccinate 10 million people by early next year. But a senior official said last week that the plan could move quicker and possibly be completed in November this year as the country will have acquired enough vaccines by the end of August.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said vaccinating people was the strategic solution of the government to fight against Covid-19 and help protect the lives amid this global pandemic.
“The presence of the vaccines will help Cambodia achieve herd immunity as planned,” he said in a Facebook post on June 28.
The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh said China had donated 2.2 million doses of vaccines to Cambodia, and sold another 8.5 million.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the people of China and Cambodia have joined hands to help each other set an example for international cooperation in fight against this virus.
“In the future, China will increase its efforts to provide vaccines to Cambodia. This will put into actual practice and demonstrate the core meaning of the ‘common destiny community’ between China and Cambodia.
“[We] will also strive to implement the key words of His Excellency Chinese President Xi Jinping by treating the Covid-19 vaccines as public property provided for the benefit of the entire world,” the embassy said.
On June 28, the health ministry also dismissed rumours that the AstraZeneca vaccine – marketed as CoviShield and provided to Cambodia through the World Health Organisation-led Covax Initiative on March 2 – was being administered by private clinics in return for payment.
The ministry said the AstraZeneca vaccines are not available now because they all have been used. However, if any doses from that shipment were somehow still available now in Cambodia, they should not be administered as they would now be expired. The Kingdom received the first 324,000 doses provided by the Covax initiative to any of its member countries.
