With Covid-19 still circulating in every corner of the globe, Prime Minister Hun Sen has renewed his calls to Cambodians to remain vigilant and practice the recommended health and safety measures while also reassuring the public at large that the Kingdom’s vaccines stockpile remains robust and that boosters will continue to be available to everyone free of charge.
In a seven-minute audio message on December 29, Hun Sen noted the evolving Covid-19 situation locally and abroad.
“If we do not have specific measures to control this virus, people may get the wrong impression and mistakenly believe they do not need vaccinations, which is potentially dangerous for the health of our people. The vaccines are the only option that will help us reduce the risk of infections or help make sure that any infections we do get are mild and not serious,” he said.
Hun Sen announced that fourth booster doses would now be made available to children ages three to five, while children ages 5 to 12 will now be eligible for fifth doses. Adults among the general public will be authorized to receive a sixth dose of vaccines going forward.
“These are preparations to ensure the safety and health of our people and I also agree with the principle that the proper procedure for vaccinations should be to administer another booster dose every six months after your last dose,” he said.
“In doing so, we can ensure that our people have strong herd immunity. Otherwise, after that period, the weakened vaccines will leave us more susceptible to infection as individuals. It is still easy to catch it. Covid-19 is still present all over the world, including in Cambodia,” he continued.
He also advised that the National Covid-19 vaccination committee launch a vaccination campaign targeting the relatively small percentage of people in the Kingdom who have been reluctant to get vaccinated due to fears or misconceptions about its safety.
“We do so in preparation to face possible risks that lie ahead for our country and region. Our main concern is not the lack of vaccines, but the fact that some people are not coming to get their vaccinations,” he stated. “Because Covid-19 can mutate into a more dangerous strain at any time, but we can curb it because we have vaccines in our bodies. That’s part of protecting the health of the people.”
The prime minister said that Cambodia still has over seven million doses of the vaccines in its national stockpile along with 20 million promised doses which will be shipped here at a later date.
“So, we have adequate vaccines to roll out more [booster shots] and inoculate all of our people,” he said.
