Despite not having any new cases in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Health has formed a working group dedicated to stopping the spread of the new coronavirus.
Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng said on Wednesday that a new group has been formed to evaluate current response mechanisms and improve them.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday officially named the disease caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus as Covid-19.
The death toll from the virus has risen to 1,115, mostly in China’s Hubei province. More than 44,200 infections have been reported worldwide, the majority being in mainland China.
After the first meeting of the new group on Tuesday, Bun Heng said in a statement that work continues to stop the spread of the virus.
“The Ministry of Health continues to strengthen surveillance systems and investigate potential cases as well as update data on cases at home and abroad,” he said.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Or Vandine told The Post on Wednesday that it is collaborating with the WHO and other institutions to review guidelines, codes of conduct and protocols for patients and health officers in the capital and provinces.
She said the ministry has a standard operating procedure to follow in case new infections are detected.
“We have created this working group because we want our response to be even more effective. We haven’t found any new cases for a while, but that doesn’t mean we are letting our guard down. The spread of the virus continues, and we are on alert.”
The Ministry of Health says it has the medicine and medical equipment needed to treat infections.
There has been only one case of Covid-19 in the Kingdom so far, but the patient, a Chinese man travelling in Sihanoukville, has already recovered and no longer carries the virus.