New batch of 2 mln doses of China-donated vaccine arrives in Cambodia

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

A new batch of 2 million doses of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Thursday, a senior health official said.

A plane carrying the jab landed at the capital's airport shortly before 11:00 a.m. local time, said Ministry of Health (MoH) Secretary of State Yok Sambath.

"It's a new batch of 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, which is donated by the Chinese government to the Cambodian government," she told reporters. "This donation is a new testament to the unbreakable ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China."

Sambath said the new vaccines will be used to support the Southeast Asian nation in its booster dose campaign.

To date, Cambodia has received a total of 37.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three sources through bilateral procurement, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s COVAX Facility, and donations.

A total of 28.5 million doses, or 75.8 percent, were Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines purchased from China, and 6.3 million doses, equivalent of 16.7 percent, were donated by China to Cambodia, according to the MoH.

Cambodia launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive in February. As of Oct. 13, the country had administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 13.5 million people, or 84.6 percent of its 16-million population, the MoH said.

Of them, 12.1 million, or 75.8 percent, had been fully vaccinated with both required shots, and 1.14 million, or 7.17 percent, had received a booster dose, it added.