The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said a large number of workers and employees in sectors targeted by its vaccination campaign have already registered to voluntarily receive the jab.

The ministry said relevant training for participating medical workers began on March 29 to prepare for the upcoming vaccination drive.

The labour ministry’s inspection department director, Ouk Chanthou, said the ministry is working with inspectors at each factory and with the factory’s owners to collect the names of all of the workers who plan on being vaccinated.

“A specific date to administer them hasn’t been set yet. We have not determined whether the jab can be provided to them before or after Khmer New Year, but we held the training course for medical workers this morning via video conference,” he said.

Up to 15 people received the virtual training per each location where the vaccinations are set to be carried out, but Chanthou noted that the training was mostly a formality because the trainees are already medical professionals and therefore highly knowledgeable in this area.

Chanthou added that his ministry had checked into 57 total locations in Phnom Penh, but they may reduce the number of locations to 41, depending on decisions by the senior leadership.

Vaccinations for factory workers and other large-scale enterprise employees are managed by the labour ministry and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC). Some 500 medical nurses and doctors are now trained to administer the jabs.

“In order to save lives, all workers please go and get the Covid-19 jab. But remember to continue to comply with all other preventive measures even if you’ve been vaccinated until instructed otherwise,” Chanthou said.

GMAC deputy secretary-general Kaing Monika told The Post that his association had already contacted the factories about their on-site medical staff and they had responded by sending them a list of 534 nurses and doctors as of March 29.

“We sent their list of names to the labour ministry already and they will hold a technical training course. Firstly, the health ministry will teach the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) department staff about vaccination procedures and techniques,” he said.

After the OSH department staff has been fully trained, they will in turn provide training to factory medical staff based on the list that GMAC had submitted.

“We are urging factories to also send the names in advance of their workers who are volunteering to get this vaccination . . . This is done on a voluntary basis,” he said.

Soth Samol, a factory worker at Vattanac Industrial Park 1 factory in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, told The Post on March 29 that he had registered for the vaccine.

“I volunteered to get vaccinated against Covid-19. No one forced me to do it. I want to protect myself and my family members against the virus,” he said.

He said about 800 other workers in his factory had also registered for the vaccine, though there were still some workers who had declined the opportunity for various reasons.