Health ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine speaks at a recent press conference. HEALTH MINISTRY
A senior health official has warned of Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, which have been detected among the new Covid-19 cases reported since June 28.
Or Vandine, Ministry of Health spokeswoman and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee, said on July 10 that BA.4 and BA.5 are the dominant types spreading in the world presently.
“Cambodia has detected new cases and they are the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. And every time we detect these sub-variants, it gives us scientific confirmation that this virus spreads fast and the possibility of transmission is different from one strain to another,” she said.
Vandine called on the public to remain vigilant, saying that the sub-variants can infect people who have been vaccinated or who have had past Covid-19 infections.
“That’s why the World Health Organisation [WHO] advised all countries to continue to administer Covid-19 vaccines after people received their base dose by adding a third or fourth shot three months apart to ensure the strength of an individual’s antibodies,” Vandine said.
According to Vandine, symptoms of patients infected with BA.4 and BA.5 are the same as previous variants and it does not seem to be any deadlier.
“We started detecting Covid-19 cases again after a 52 day absence of them because these sub-variants began circulating. The symptoms for Covid-19 patients are similar. Nothing is new – fever, cough, a sore throat and a runny nose like a cold or flu,” she said.
Vandine renewed her call for people to take care of their health and maintain preventive health measures and if anyone has symptoms or has come into contact with an infected person and are in doubt about their status, they should take a rapid test.
According to the ministry, Cambodia had vaccinated 94.36 per cent of the estimated population of 16 million as of July 10. Over 9.5 million people have received their third dose, more than three million their fourth and nearly 360,000 their fifth.
In Kep province, governor Som Piseth said authorities began offering third doses to people door-to-door well before Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the third-dose vaccination campaign.
“We have implemented all Covid-19 containment measures, especially practicing the three dos and three don’ts and vaccinations,” he said, noting that the province has not detected any new Covid-19 cases for a period of three months.
