Cambodia's first single-digit new case figure since February is recorded as Omicron arrives in the country.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

As the first case of the Omicron variety was reported in Cambodia, the country continued its extraordinary run of 76 days of 'new normal' low case counts, setting a new daily COVID case low (diagnosed by PCR test)

The official daily new COVID case count (as determined by PCR test) was 8, increasing the overall number of COVID cases to 120,390.

 

Cambodians have been waiting for Omicron to arrive in the last several days, but its presence will be a setback for the Royal Government's efforts to manage the epidemic.

 

"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any prior form," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

 

The variety, which is said to be highly transmissible and has a greater risk of reinfection, has now spread to an estimated 77 nations across the world, with Cambodia joining a list that includes Thailand, Singapore, as well as countries in America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

 

Preliminary laboratory studies from Pfizer and BioNTech show that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529 lineage), while two doses result in significantly lower neutralization titers, highlighting the importance of a third 'booster' dose in combating Omicron.

 

However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the people of Phnom Penh are taking their time getting the crucial third dosage, as seen by a visit by Khmer Times to a completely empty vaccination center in Phnom Penh yesterday.

 

The Royal Government's valiant efforts to vaccinate Cambodians with the first and second doses may be jeopardized by the low uptake of the third immunization.

 

Bruce Aylward, a WHO expert, has cautioned against "coming to the idea that this is a benign condition."

 

He warned, "We could be setting ourselves up for a very perilous situation."

 

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.

 

It's unclear whether the finding of Omicron in Cambodia will change anything.

 

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 76 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 100,537 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, there were no imported cases announced, maintaining the pattern of few imported cases.

 

Cambodia also revealed three further deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Cambodia to 2995.

 

As active cases decreased, 12 recoveries were announced; there are now only 642 active COVID cases detected by PCR test in Cambodia.

 

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 low uptake of the third booster dose in Phnom Penh, the city's authorities have decided to keep the third 'booster' shot campaign going indefinitely.

Credit Source: Khmer Times

 

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