Continued caution urged as new Covid cases rise in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, July 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) Cambodian Ministry of Health (MoH) has called on the public to continue to exercise caution as the Southeast Asian nation has seen a spike in new Covid-19 cases.

Forty-seven new cases were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in the country on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 136,753, with 133,495 recoveries and 3,056 deaths, the MoH said.

No new deaths have been reported from the pandemic since April, the Ministry added.

MOH's spokesperson Or Vandine urged people to strictly follow health protocols, including wearing a face mask, washing hands regularly and maintaining physical distancing, and to get their booster doses in order to prevent a big surge in new cases.

"Complacency is a window of opportunity for Covid-19 virus to circulate in the community," she wrote on social media.

"To sustain a new normal, everyone must continue to implement public health measures and to get vaccines as soon as possible when your turn comes."

Buoyed by its high vaccination rates, Cambodia has resumed all socioeconomic activities and reopened its borders to travellers without quarantine since November last year.

Some 15.1 million people, or 94.4 per cent of Cambodia's 16 million population, have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the MoH said, adding that 14.4 million, or 90 per cent of the population, have been fully vaccinated with two required shots.

Meanwhile 9.74 million Cambodians, or 61 per cent of the population, have received a third dose, about 3.5 million, or 22 per cent of the population, have received a fourth dose, and 473,845, or 3 per cent of the population, have received a fifth dose.

Source: IANS