World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Cambodia Li Ailan said WHO will continue to support the Cambodian people in carrying out the nation’s vaccination campaign as the Kingdom remains at a critical stage in its Covid-19 response.

“The world remains in a very dangerous situation... Cambodia remains at a very critical stage of [its] Covid-19 response. There is no shortcut. Only effective interventions today with the combined measures will determine [the] Covid-19 situation in the near future,” she tweeted.

During an online ceremony to hand over oxygen concentration measurement devices to vaccination teams from three provinces on May 29, Ailan said: “I will continue to help the Cambodian people, especially by supporting the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

“I firmly believe that Cambodia will get past this serious outbreak [because] the Cambodian government has already experienced success [previously] in preventing and combating Covid-19,” she said.

WHO in Cambodia released a report on May 24 saying that Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk province have reached the second stage of transmissions – one in which the transmission of the virus branched out to different locations – while 23 other provinces are experiencing the first stage.

The report highlighted the current Covid-19 situation and discussed strategic approaches for prevention, research and control of Covid-19 including vaccinations.

It said the transmission stage assessments were made using multi-source surveillance techniques and they showed that Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk were in the second transmission stage.

The report said Cambodia had used many detection strategies, including a system to track the disease through community participation that was being established and put into trial at health centres and in the community.

As of May 30, Cambodia has recorded a total of 29,404 cases of Covid-19 with 22,188 recoveries and 209 fatalities.