Cambodia hits COVID-19 vaccination target of 10M people

Cambodia is among countries with highest vaccination rates in Southeast Asia

Cambodia on Tuesday said it has achieved its target of vaccinating 10 million people against COVID-19.

The vaccination drive in the Southeast Asian country has “reached 100.05% of the targeted 10 million people above 18 years of age,” said a statement by the prime minister’s office.

It added that 97.93% of some 1.83 million people under the age of 18 have been covered, along with 101.46% of around 1.89 million under-12s, and 8.81% of about 304,300 kids under the age of 5.

The kingdom, home to nearly 16 million people, launched a mass immunization campaign in February with vaccines and supplies from China.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government allocated $170 million to purchase vaccines, including the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, which has enabled Cambodia to achieve one of the highest vaccination rates in Southeast Asia.

In August, it started administering third booster shots to eligible people and vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Daily infections in Cambodia dropped to 89 on Tuesday, while new fatalities were at six.

The nationwide count now stands at 118,702, including 2,800 deaths, according to latest data.