A medical worker gives a COVID-19 vaccine shot to a resident in Phnom Penh capital of Cambodia (Photo: AFP/VNA) Apart from the frontline forces, the vaccinationprogramme in Laos will also cover cadres and employees of ministries,ministry-level agencies, departments and sectors of localities, staff ofembassies and international organisations, their families, along with thoseworking for high-risk businesses.
The Lao Ministry of Health’s Department ofHygiene and Health Promotion said about 932,000 vaccine doses recently suppliedfor the country have been distributed to provinces. They consist of 800,000 dosesof China’s Sinopharm vaccine and another 132,000 doses of theOxford/AstraZeneca vaccine provided by UNICEF and WHO via the COVAX Facility.
As of April 4, 102,491 people of high-riskgroups in Laos had received the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines while 6,171had been injected with the second doses.
The country plans to vaccinate about 20 percentof its population, equivalent to about 1.6 million people, against thecoronavirus disease this year. The percentage is expected to reach 50 percentin 2022, 70 percent in 2023, and more in the following years.
In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed topeople, particularly the remaining armed force members and civil servants, toget vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the AKP news agency.
He said vaccination will become mandatory, noton a voluntary basis anymore, except for those who cannot be vaccinated due tohealth problems certified by medical professionals.
The PM noted the next group prioritised for thevaccination is residents in Phnom Penh capital and neighbouring Kandalprovince, which are facing high transmission risks.
He also requested all ministers and municipaland provincial governors to assess how many civil servants have yet to bevaccinated, calling on all people to contribute to the pandemic combat.
Almost 100 percent of the military have receivedthe first shots of COVID-19 vaccine, while about 80 percent already got theirsecond jabs, Hun Sen said.
On late April 6, the Cambodian PM issued adecision on temporarily banning movement between provinces from April 7 to 20to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In the morning of April 7,the country’s health ministry announced 91 new cases of COVID-19, with 90 beinglocal infections. The national count reached 2,915, including 1,824 recoveriesand 22 deaths./.
VNA
