Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Ministry calls on public to get booster shots

Ministry calls on public to get booster shots

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
A woman gets her Covid-19 booster shot at Phsar Chas Market in the capital’s Daun Penh district. Heng Chivoan

Ministry calls on public to get booster shots

The Ministry of Health and its provincial departments have identified some challenges in administering Covid-19 booster shots as the number of people who have received them at this point is much lower than that of people who got their first two doses.

Or Vandine, ministry spokeswoman and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, reiterated her call for people to get the jabs at a recent press conference on planning third, fourth and fifth doses.

She said vaccinations are very important because they help reduce the chance of severe illness or death.

“Nearly 10 million people have so far received their third doses. That’s not bad, but 14.5 million people have received first and second shots. So, there’s still at least four or five million people who should be getting their third one. We have to work with the capital and provinces to make sure that those who have yet to receive the third dose come and get it,” she urged.

Vandine also encouraged municipal and provincial authorities and all Covid-19 vaccination teams to give people booster shots to increase community immunity.

She asked that the secretariat of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee discuss with medical teams from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) about looking into the possibility of where they might be able to help vaccinate.

“We want to have this vaccination campaign again and we will send these medical teams to provinces with a low rate of vaccination, because we see overall certain provinces have vaccinated over 70 per cent of residents. And provinces with vaccination rates lower than 68 per cent, we will send intervention teams to help them,” she said.

She added that authorities have to encourage people who have yet to get their booster shots to come to get them, especially fourth and fifth doses.

She emphasised that the health ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to offer fourth and fifth doses to garment workers and students.

According to the health ministry, as of August 20 Cambodia had vaccinated 94.74 per cent of the estimated population of 16 million. Nearly 10 million people have so far received their third doses, while nearly four million have received fourth doses and nearly 600,000 their fifth.

At the August 18 ceremonial handover of 300,000 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by Spain, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia could be regarded a front-line country for bringing the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

He said that even though new waves of the virus continued to occur, Cambodia managed to reopen all sectors of its society in November 2021 and was also able to maintain the new normal of socio-economic activities as well as restore and foster growth thus far.

Cambodia has not seen any deaths from Covid-19 for over four months now, but Hun Sen urged authorities to continue to work hard to control the disease and speed up booster shots for all people including children aged 3 and older to curb new variants.

MOST VIEWED

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Hun Sen warns of regional tensions

    ASIA is becoming a dangerous geopolitical hotspot, with several countries announcing that they intend to send naval vessels towards Southeast Asia and on to the South China Sea, warned Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Heated geopolitical issues can easily escalate, namely to war. I am not

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans