Daily cases in Cambodia remain 'very low,' but fears of Omicron loom on the horozont.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

As Cambodia prepares for a probable new wave of the pandemic in the form of the Omicron variety that is sweeping the globe, the country has once again reported low daily new COVID case counts (diagnosed by PCR test) in an unprecedented 60-day run of 'new normal' low case numbers.

The official daily new COVID case count (as determined by PCR) was 25, increasing the overall number of COVID cases to 120,112 cases.

 

Covid-19 in Cambodia appears to have been brought under strict control nine months after the February 20 Community Event, and the country is reopening in practically all areas.

 

However, the new 'Omicron' version of COVID-19, which is said to be highly transmissible, has sparked widespread worry.

 

Cases have been found in Asia, Europe, and Australia, and the World Health Organization and Cambodian Secretary of State Or Vandine have both warned that the Omicron form may arrive in Cambodia sooner rather than later.

 

The WHO Representative in Cambodia, Dr Li Ailan, has issued a warning:

 

"Despite excellent COVID-19 immunization coverage, Cambodia should be cautious about the recently discovered Variant of Concern Omicron. Everyone should be prepared for a potential surge, and we should continue to learn and improve our reaction mechanisms as needed."

 

Experts recommend that Cambodia join Singapore and Thailand in prohibiting tourists from a number of African nations in order to avoid the spread of this hazardous new mutation.

 

Yesterday, a Cambodian tourist sector specialist said:

 

"Cambodia could go even farther and exclude any travellers who have been through these countries during the previous 14 to 21 days after arrival in Cambodia." After nearly two years of closure and preventative precautions, we are about to reopen.

 

"Now is not the time to relax our vigilance and let infected B.1.1.529 Omicron variant persons to cross our borders, since this is like to letting a genie out of a bottle." Once inside Cambodia's borders, it'll be another nightmare situation, similar to the Delta variation, which is currently Cambodia's dominant variant."

 

The Royal Government, on the other hand, has made no attempt to remedy the deteriorating Omicron situation.

 

Moving forward, the Royal Government's focus is now on establishing a "new normal" in Cambodia and opening the country up to tourists and industry by treating milder cases of COVID at home.

 

The recent dramatic drop in reported cases is due to a strategy implemented in October that excludes 'quick' testing and'mild' COVID-19 cases from the official daily case counts.

 

Under the prior reporting scheme, there was a general increasing tendency in the Kingdom; however, the latest 60 days' data have entirely reversed this pattern, as seen in the graph below (please note that results may be up to two days behind):

Other statistics show that there are currently 100,292 Community Instances, with 19,820 cases being imported.

 

The disparity between Cambodia's COVID condition and that of Thailand and Vietnam, its neighbors, is astounding.

 

The numbers (see graph below) are proof of the Kingdom's comprehensive immunization drive, which has been dubbed the "Cambodian vaccination miracle."

Today, six imported cases were revealed, maintaining a pattern of few imported cases.

 

Cambodia also revealed four further deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Cambodia to 2935.

 

As active cases decreased, 22 recoveries were announced, bringing the total number of active COVID cases in Cambodia to just 682.

 

Cambodia has now surpassed not just its close neighbors Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam (see below) in terms of vaccination rates, but also nearly every major country in the globe, including France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.

 

However, due to limited acceptance of the third booster dosage in Phnom Penh, the city's officials have decided to keep the third 'booster' injection campaign going indefinitely.

Credit Source: Khmer Times

 

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