A new future: Cambodia's 74th day of ultra-low cases

[ASEAN NOW]

 

As COVID cases climb in Cambodia's ASEAN neighbors – and the Omicron variant spreads - the Kingdom's extraordinary run of 74 days of 'new normal' low case numbers continues, with another record low daily new COVID case count (diagnosed by PCR test)

Today's official daily new COVID case count (as determined by PCR) was 15, increasing the overall number of COVID cases to 120,370.

 

Concerns about Omicron, a novel COVID-19 variation that is highly transmissible, has a higher reinfection rate, and has been documented in over 50 countries, including Cambodia's immediate neighbor Thailand, Singapore, as well as America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

 

Cambodians must be fully vaccinated, according to Dr. Or Vandine, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Health, to guarantee that they are effectively protected not just against Omicron but also against any new strains that may appear.

"There are still people who have not been vaccinated for any reason, and accessibility or awareness cannot be one of them." Both are widely distributed in Cambodia, and there is concern that Omicron, like the Delta Variety, which is currently the country's dominant variant, may slip through the cracks.

 

Unvaccinated people account for two out of every three COVID-19 fatalities in Cambodia, according to new data.

 

Despite the threat of Omicron, Cambodia is forging ahead with reopening, and the Royal Government's focus is now on reestablishing a "new normal" and reintroducing Cambodia to tourists and industry by treating lesser instances of COVID at home.

 

Unfortunately, the projected flow of visitors has yet to arrive, with Chhay Sivlin, head of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, stating that while foreigners have shown an interest in visiting Cambodia, they are unable to do so owing to a shortage of flights.

 

Flights appear to be returning, linking Cambodia to the key tourist industry, with Singapore Airlines and Lanmei Airlines resuming service to Siem Reap on December 17 and Vietnam announcing that regular commercial flights to Cambodia will resume on January 1, 2022.

 

As previously stated, the 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 last 74 days' data have totally 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 100,517 Community Instances, with 19,853 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, just one imported case was disclosed, continuing the trend of fewer imported cases.

 

Cambodia also revealed four further deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Cambodia to 2989.

 

As active cases decreased, 12 recoveries were announced, bringing the total number of active COVID cases in Cambodia to just 654.

 

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

Join our 3x a week Cambodian News, Travel and Expat information newsletter - Click to Subscribe

Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view