Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia began a COVID-19 vaccination drive targeting children aged 12-17 in its capital Phnom Penh and three provinces of Kandal, Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk on August 1.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said vaccination for children is a key step to herd immunity in communities. At least 2 million children in Cambodia are expected to be vaccinated in the campaign, he said, adding that the country is mulling inoculating children aged 10-11.
He said the authorities will also soon begin administering booster shots to adults who are fully vaccinated.
The same day, the PM announced that the Government has decided to give the third shot of AstraZeneca vaccine to those who previously received two shots of China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.
He added that about 500,000 – 1 million frontline workers, especially those in areas bordering Thailand, will be given priority for the third shot.
As of July 31, over 7.3 million adults in Cambodia received at least one shot while over 4.7 million obtained two shots.
Its Health Ministry reported on August 1 that additional 23 deaths and 671 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, including 265 imported and 406 community cases. The figure brought the total caseload to 77,914, of whom 70,754 recovered and 1,420 died./.
