New goal: 10 millionth vaccinee by November
MINISTER of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth, who also serves as deputy acting head of the National Committee for Combating Covid-19, will lead a meeting to review the progress of the vaccination drive as a large number of vaccines are due to arrive earlier than planned.
Finance ministry secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth discussed the upcoming review while receiving a shipment of one million doses of Sinovac vaccines at the Phnom Penh International Airport on June 26.
The latest batch added to the nine million shots Cambodia had procured thus far, mostly through purchases and donations from China, and a smaller amount through the World Health Organisationled Covax initiative.
“On Wednesday June 30 ... [Pornmoniroth] will hold a meeting to review the vaccination work. We cannot follow our old plan because now we have a lot more vaccines in hand,” Vissoth said.
According to early planning, vaccinations were only to be administered in locations at highest risk for transmission of the disease.
Vissoth said, however, that
these plans may now change to target every province as Cambodia will receive more than enough vaccines to reach its targets.
The government originally planned to acquire a total of 20 million doses to achieve the goal of having 10 million people aged 18 and older vaccinated, with herd immunity expected early 2022.
But now it expects that the necessary 20 million doses will have touched down in the Kingdom by August.
“According to the latest information, we will have received the [remaining 10 million] doses of vaccines by August. This includes the five million doses in June, five million in July and another four million in August,” Vissoth said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on June 26 that one million doses were set to arrive on June 28 for the total five million shots that Cambodia is scheduled to receive this month from two Chinese companies, Sinovac and Sinopharm.
If all of the vaccines arrive as currently scheduled, the vaccination target of 10 million people will be accomplished in October or November of this year.
Vissoth said: “Thus, we will be reviewing our vaccination plans in order to accelerate our vaccination drive.
“We will hold a meeting to discuss possibilities and to revise the vaccination drive plans. We will see whether children should be vaccinated and whether that is recommended. We are also studying the possibility of providing third doses,” he said.
“For the nearly 20 million doses of vaccines, excluding some donations, we will have spent about $170 million to purchases them for our people. We have enough money in our budget to purchase these vaccines,” he added.
As of June 26, Cambodia has vaccinated over 3.8 million people, or almost 39 per cent of the targeted 10 million, out of the country’s total population of roughly 16 million.
Vaccination drives are currently underway in the provinces of Kandal, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, Kampong Cham, Svay Rieng and Takeo.