PM Sets Target to Inoculate One Million People Per Month
PM Sets Target to Inoculate One Million People Per Month
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday unveiled a plan to distribute one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 500,000 people next month. His ultimate goal is to inoculate one million people per month and has ordered officials to work hard to achieve this end.
In an audio message statement on his Facebook page, PM Hun Sen said he planned to distribute one million doses of Sinovac vaccine in one month to Cambodians now that more vaccines have arrived. Therefore, the vaccines must be delivered to the people in a timely fashion.
He asked provincial authorities to cooperate in setting up vaccination sites accurately and quickly to achieve this goal. Currently, there are 300 vaccination sites nationwide.
PM Hun Sen also said that he had asked Phnom Penh and all provincial governors to prepare the vaccination sites and accommodation for the national medical team ahead of schedule.
“Presently, there are a lot of guesthouses and hotels that the authorities can rely on for our doctors to stay at to avoid renting a building which wastes money. When doctors from Phnom Penh go to the provinces, the Health Ministry should be responsible for expenses such as travel and food, while the provincial authorities are responsible for accommodation,” PM Hun Sen said.
He added that the owners of the guesthouses and hotels were not unkind and they will join with this vaccination campaign because it is a humanitarian effort that can help the people avoid being infected with COVID-19.
PM Hun Sen also advised each province to find doctors who are not responsible for general medical treatment, as well as volunteer doctors in private hospitals, to attend training to help with this vaccination campaign.
The announcement of the plan to accelerate the vaccinations for COVID-19 was made after Cambodia purchased 1.5 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, which arrived on March 26.
In addition, on March 31, Cambodia is expected to receive an additional 700,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a grant from the Chinese government (300,000 doses for the Ministry of Defence and 400,000 doses for the Ministry of Health, which fulfills the original promise of one million doses).
The government is also planning to inoculate more than 10 million people to reach herd immunity and effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 to restore the economy.
To achieve this goal, Cambodia is seeking further vaccines through friendly countries and through the Covax initiative. The government is negotiating to purchase 4 million more doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China to provide free injections to residents as planned.
