Or Vandine, ministry spokeswoman and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, inspecting the roll-out of the sixth-dose vaccination campaign at the Senate and Dangkor Referral Hospital in Phnom Penh on January 9. PHOTO SUPPLIED
A senior Ministry of Health official appealed to the public not to discriminate against any particular Covid-19 vaccine, saying a mix of vaccines offers improved protection to using only one brand.
Or Vandine, ministry spokeswoman and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, made the call while inspecting the roll-out of the sixth-dose vaccination campaign at the Senate and Dangkor Referral Hospital in Phnom Penh on January 9.
“Please don’t discriminate against any brand. According to the World Health Organisation [WHO], mixed vaccinations offer strong protection against the virus,” she said.
Vandine added that the ministry is taking steps to use alternative Covid-19 vaccines to boost people’s immune systems against the disease. More important than the brand was the length of time between vaccines.
“This gap between boosters is also a crucial factor. If the wait is too long, your immunity may decline accordingly. I appeal to everyone to keep their shots as up to date as possible. This is one of the best things they can do to protect themselves and people around them,” she said.
“A new Omicron sub-variant called XBB.1.5 has emerged. I know that some people are concerned about it, but it is important to remember that it has not been detected in Cambodia, but only in the US,” she added.
“The WHO recently advised that although the new strain is among the most contagious, it has yet to prove as more dangerous than the Delta variant,” she continued.
Vandine made it clear that vaccine remains the most effective weapon against all variants of the virus, including the newest forms.
“We must get boosters and maintain individual and herd immunity. We all know that if individual immunities decline, community immunity will follow,” she said.
She added that any decline in immunity offers an easy path for the virus to spread.
Prime Minister Hun Sen recently renewed his calls for people to work together and practise preventive measures, and to make sure their vaccinations are up to date.
“Please don’t forget. I will continue to call on our people to stay focused on observing preventive measures. We know the disease is still out there, so the public should continue to increase their immunity with booster shots,” he said.
According to the health ministry, as of January 9, Cambodia had vaccinated about 95.29 per cent of the estimated population of 16 million people against Covid-19.
Over 14 million people had received their second doses; over 10 million their third; more than 4.7 million their fourth; 1.2 million their fifth; and more than 10,000 their sixth.
