Worrying news: Cambodia's daily new case counts have risen for the first time in weeks, owing to an uptick in Omicron cases.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

For the first time in weeks, Cambodia saw an increase in new COVID cases, as the country's Omicron total surged to 31 instances yesterday — all imported. However, no local cases have been reported, though specialists say it is only a matter of time until Omicron makes an appearance in the area.

The number of new COVID cases diagnosed by PCR test today was 15, raising the overall number of COVID cases to 120,464 cases.

 

No information on where these additional Omicron cases originated has been provided, though it is thought that 29 of the total cases arrived via Phnom Penh International Airport and two via Siem Reap International Airport.

 

It appears just a matter of time until Cambodia reports its first 'local' cases, following in the footsteps of ASEAN countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and – most concerning for Cambodia – Thailand, who have all reported 'local' outbreaks.

 

Since border checkpoints opened on August 13, this has prompted concern in Cambodia, particularly among migrant laborers returning from Thailand through various regions.

 

Omicron, which is highly transmissible and has a high rate of reinfection, has now spread to over 100 nations throughout the world, including Cambodia.

 

According to research from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), two doses of BioNtech or Sinovac do not create enough blood antibodies against the novel Omicron virus type in most people.

 

Cambodians, on the other hand, appear to be hesitant to take advantage of the crucial third dose.

 

After the first campaign on October 11 yielded dismal results, Phnom Penh City Hall announced it will re-launch the booster dose campaign on January 3.

 

Cambodia has delivered over 3.28 million booster doses, or around 19.34 percent of the population, according to supplied numbers (please note that figures are approximately 2 days late) (see below)

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.

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 tourism and business by treating lesser cases of COVID at home.

 

However, it remains to be seen whether the rising number of Omicron cases in Cambodia will sway these plans.

 

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 88 days' results 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 now 100,576 Community Instances, with 19,888 cases being imported.

 

Today, 15 imported cases were disclosed, with the new Omicron cases accounting for the majority of the increase.

 

Cambodia also revealed 1 more death, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Cambodia to 3009.

 

There were 13 recoveries as active cases increased for the first time in weeks - there are currently 574 active COVID cases in Cambodia, according to PCR tests.

 

Credit Source: Khmer Times

 

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