Exiting restrictions: The Ministry of Health is preparing a plan for living normally with C-19 in the area.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

The Ministry of Health is developing an exit strategy to remove Covid-19 restrictions even more and prepare the country for individuals to resume their normal lifestyles.

Or Vandine, a ministry spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the strategy included admitting that Covid-19 is here to stay and that it is time to "learn to live with it."

 

“Learn to live with it, cope with it, face it, and overcome setbacks by following the government's preventive guidelines,” she told Khmer Times. People are willingly joining hands with the government to battle the pandemic, and the situation with Covid-19 is improving day by day.”

 

“The Covid-19 virus, whether it's Alpha, Delta, or other forms, is still the Covid-19 virus. People will still become infected or die as a result of the virus, no matter how many times it reshapes itself. Don't think of the variants as a danger. Simply follow the Ministry of Health's and government's preventative guidelines to the letter, and think positively,” she added.

In an effort to return to normalcy, Cambodia, like Singapore, is vaccinating practically all of its eligible population against Covid-19.

 

Singapore's Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung, announced on his Facebook page on Sunday that 80 percent of the country's 5.7 million people have received two vaccinations.

 

“We have reached another milestone,” he said, “where 80 percent of our population has got their complete two-dose regimen.”

 

“It indicates we've taken another step toward making ourselves more resilient to Covid-19,” Ong explained.

 

Both countries are working hard to surpass the herd immunity threshold in the hopes of gaining population immunity to these lethal virus and variations and transitioning from herd immunity to normalcy.

 

According to Vandine, the vaccination campaign's momentum has never halted, with everyone doing their part to ensure that as many individuals as possible in the Kingdom are properly vaccinated.

 

“The 91.75 percent vaccination rate is an achievement, thanks to Prime Minister Hun Sen, government heads, municipal and provincial governors, officials and relevant authorities, medical professionals, and, most significantly, the people themselves who participated and supported the vaccination drive,” she continued.

 

She claimed that the Prime Minister has gone to great lengths to ensure that enough vaccine doses are available to achieve herd immunity.

 

“Cambodia can return to normalcy if the majority of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, strictly follows the three dos and three don'ts, and takes all necessary precautions to avoid contracting the terrible disease,” Vandine added.

Dr Li Ailan, the World Health Organization's Representative in Cambodia, told Khmer Times yesterday that the overall Covid-19 situation in Cambodia is presently improving, with decreasing trends in cases and deaths.

 

“While there are some similar Covid-19 response tactics, every country, whether Cambodia or Singapore, has its own unique country situation. “What makes a difference is a good combination of effective public health and social initiatives, as well as vaccination,” she explained.

 

“In Cambodia, we can already witness the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccinations and vaccination. Covid-19 causes less deaths, especially among those who are fully immunized. She went on to say that it is still effective against serious sickness and death, even the Delta variety.

 

“After more than five months of active reaction, this is really promising good news for Cambodia. It's the consequence of a combination of factors, including more effective execution of public health and social policies, as well as the good effects of Cambodia's remarkable Covid-19 vaccine deployment, according to Dr. Ailan.

 

She was, however, saddened by the fact that frontline health professionals were infected with Covid-19 and died as a result of it.

 

“It breaks my heart that some of our health-care employees have become infected with Covid-19. Cambodia has made every effort to manage returned migrants in the Delta variety, including testing, isolation and treatment, quarantine, and the provision of critical health and other services, notably through a large number of health care personnel and other frontline responders. “We applaud and value their devotion and hard work,” she said.