Medical officials conducted a nose swab to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
The number of confirmed Delta variant cases in Cambodia has so far reached nearly 1,000, causing concern among government and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials.
From August 19-21, the Ministry of Health recorded 241 cases, bringing the tally to 999 since it was first detected on March 31.
In a press statement on August 22, the ministry said Delta has been found in the capital and 22 provinces, with the exceptions of Kep and Kratie.
While some of the cases were found on airline passengers and Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand and Vietnam, there have also been a large number of infected people who had no known outside contacts, indicating community transmission.
On August 19, the government lifted some of the restrictive measures it had imposed for 21 days prior across the country in a bid to prevent the spread of Delta, though the government authorised individual provinces to determine and enforce their owner measures.
The health ministry said it was still deeply concerned about the spread of Delta, especially given the numbers that have been officially found through testing.
“Now we have 999 people who have been confirmed to be infected with Delta. But my question is how many more people have contracted the virus beyond that figure? We have to join hands to prevent it from spreading further,” said health ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine while handing over Prime Minister Hun Sen’s gift to centenarians who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Prey Veng province.
“This figure shows what the current situation is, but we have to think beyond these cases that were found through technical testing on lab specimens. We must not forget that the number of people infected with this variant is far greater than the number found through testing and it’s very concerning,” she said.
She said the virus will not disappear from Cambodia or the world and is instead mutating into many strains, making the future unpredictable.
According to WHO, the four other known Covid-19 strains that infect humans are all endemic, meaning widespread, common and persistent, but today they are generally mild in their impacts because humans have had long-term exposure to them and developed immunity. They are the primary causes of the “common cold”.
WHO representative to Cambodia Li Ailan also warned that Delta posed a big problem for the Kingdom and beyond.
“It is still bad news that the virus, especially the Delta variant, is still with us. It is important to get vaccinated to help stem the spread of the virus and adhere to non-pharmaceutical measures effectively,” she said.
Li made the remarks as she joined Vandine, who is also head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, in a trip on August 20 to bring Hun Sen’s gifts to the centenarians.
Li commended the government’s vaccination programme which she said has been fast, smooth and efficient, though she cautioned that vaccination is not a cure-all. She said the government has paid attention to members of the public including vulnerable people and those at high risk such as frontline medical workers, senior citizens and those with chronic illness.
“[Vaccinations] reduce hospitalisations, severe illness and deaths,” she said while also cautioning that the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions coupled with public complacency could be another cause for concern.
“If we let our guard down or we don’t take part in exercising non-pharmaceutical measures, [and] the restrictions are lifted too early, we may see another outbreak of the disease,” she said, calling on the public to strictly implement preventive measures.
With regard to treatment, health ministry secretary of state Ngov Kang said on August 21 that the ministry has not allowed any private hospitals and clinics to treat Delta patients.
“When the patients are confirmed by testing that they have the Delta strain, the patient must be sent to a state hospital and isolated from others. We have to do this in order to minimise community transmissions,” Kang said.
He said in Phnom Penh there are four hospitals and facilities for Delta treatment – Chea Sim High School, Mongkol Oudom Centre, the Premier Centre Sen Sok and Chak Angre Health Centre.
