Cambodia to launch COVID-19 inoculation drive on Feb 10 with Chinese vaccines

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Friday that an inoculation drive against COVID-19 will start from Feb 10 after the first batch of China-donated Sinopharm vaccines is due to arrive in the kingdom on Sunday.

"At 8:30 am (local time) on Fe 10, 2021, vaccinations will officially start at the Calmette Hospital," he wrote on his official Facebook page.

"This vaccination process will be live broadcast on TVs and social media platforms and after receiving the first shot of the vaccine, I will hold a press conference at the Calmette Hospital," he added.

According to the prime minister, the vaccines will be provided free-of-charge to people who are at a high risk of getting infections such as medics, teachers, bodyguards, armed forces, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers, and garbage collectors, among others.

He added that the Southeast Asian nation has planned to inoculate between 10 and 13 million people, or about 80 percent of the population.

The Ministry of Health on Thursday authorized the emergency use of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, saying that "the vaccine is used safely in China and other countries."

Cambodia has so far registered a total of 470 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with zero deaths and 452 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.