Phnom Penh: Cambodia began to vaccinate Friday 6-to-11 years so students can safely return to schools that have been closed for months because of Coronavirus.
Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated a campaign to vaccinate children, spoke directly on the state television and his Facebook page when his grandchildren and other young family members of other senior officials were shown given their jab.
“To protect the health of their children and their lives are our duty because we want to ensure that they return to their schools, these children and their teachers are safe from Covid-19,” Hun Sen declared.
Cambodia has vaccassed larger children, and Hun Sen said he ordered health officials to learn whether children aged 3 to 5 could also be vaccinated.
Nearly 72% of nearly 17 million Cambodians have received at least one Covid-19 shot because vaccination began in February.
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Hun Sen said Cambodian priority in recovery from a pandemic will reopen the education sector, followed by enabling the service industry, including domestic tourism, to continue activities.
He said Cambodia was considering reopening foreign tourists who were fully vaccinated in the near future.
The tourism sector is very important for the country’s economy, he said, and Chinese visitors are expected to become the largest arrival group that has been reopened with Cambodia.
Hun Sen said while the level of Cambodia infection continued to high, it seemed to slow down due to the level of vaccination, which was higher than most other countries in Southeast Asia.
The Cambodian Ministry of Health on Friday reported 698 new infections and 11 deaths, added to the total nation of 102,834 cases and 2,089 deaths from Covid-19.
Cambodia vaccinates children aged 6-to-11 years before school reopened
