The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications said 12 days since the “Stop Covid-19” QR code was introduced, 99,224 locations have registered and people have scanned the code nearly five million times.
The ministry announced on March 8 that through the use of the system, scanners could receive information about a location that might have been exposed to Covid-19. People who had visited the location could quickly be identified.
“Data from the system also shows who should be in self-quarantine, and if they have left home [despite quarantine]. This reveals that they have violated quarantine,” it said.
The ministry reiterated its call for individuals who are in self-quarantine not to leave home or quarantine facilities for the mandatory 14 days in order to stop the spread of the virus.
The Ministry of Health on March 8 reported 24 more cases of Covid-19 linked to the February 20 community transmission, bringing the total to 501.
The 24 include five Vietnamese nationals and seven Cambodians, with the rest being Chinese.
Of the 24 patients, three are receiving treatment in Kandal province, 12 in Phnom Penh, one each in Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom provinces, and the rest in Preah Sihanouk province.
In a press release, the ministry also said seven Covid-19 whose cases were linked to the February 20 community transmission have recovered and been discharged from hospital. Among the seven are three Chinese nationals and four Cambodians.
As of March 8, Cambodia had recorded a total of 1,011 Covid-19 cases, with 493 receiving ongoing treatment.
Separately, Kampong Cham Provincial Administration has appealed to people who have been in close or indirect contact with a 27-year-old Cambodian man named Mey Sithan – a massage instructor at Sinh Jin Thai Hotel in Preah Sihanouk province who has tested positive for Covid-19 and is being treated at the provincial referral hospital – to come forward for quarantine and testing.
The provincial administration said the man had travelled from Preah Sihanouk province on March 3 to places in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham. It said the 27-year-old took a taxi, tuk-tuks, motorcycles and auto-rickshaws and had visited Prey Totoeng Market.
In a new development on March 8, Covid-19 patients at Phnom Penh quarantine centre in Prek Pnov district have been transferred to The Great Duke Hotel, formerly InterContinental Hotel.
Hun Manet, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, said in a Facebook post on March 8 that within 33 hours the hotel was converted into a treatment centre that can accommodate up to 500 patients, in what he called a “major mission accomplished”.
“I would like to thank all brothers and sisters from the army units, Military Police, National Police, health and labour ministries, Phnom Penh Municipal Hall, Electricite du Cambodge, Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, private companies and all friends for taking an active part in preparing this,” he said.
Manet said the centre is for Covid-19 patients with minor symptoms. This will make it easier for the health ministry to gather human resources, medical supplies and essential techniques to prevent the spread of the virus to the wider community.
The health ministry has also notified people who have received the first shot of Covid-19 vaccine at the National Paediatric Hospital in Phnom Penh and who are currently stranded in Preah Sihanouk province – one of the three major hotspots of the February 20 community transmission – that a second shot would be available at the provincial referral hospital.
The ministry said they had provided medical information about the patients to relevant medical specialists in the province. The information had also been sent to the ministry’s information technology team. Patients have been informed to tell health workers three days before they want to receive the jab.
The ministry said that from February 10 to March 7, it had vaccinated 71,185 civilians while the Ministry of National Defence had vaccinated 96,302 members of the armed forces.
