Cambodia begins Covid-19 vaccine roll-out with 1st dose for PM’s son

Phnom Penh, Feb 10 (efe-epa).- The son of Cambodia’s prime minister on Wednesday morning received the first Covid-19 vaccine dose in the country on day one of a roll-out of the drug produced by China’s Sinopharm.

Hun Manet, deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces and widely tipped to take over from his father Prime Minister Hun Sen, received the first dose at Calmette Hospital in the capital Phnom Penh.

“I have already been vaccinated against Covid-19,” Hun Manet, 43, later said on his Facebook page alongside photos of the event and his Covid vaccination card with the number 000-000-0001.

“Let the Cambodian people unite and be ready to join the government in implementing health measures and getting vaccinated… to protect ourselves, our families, our society and our people in this difficult situation. The fight against Covid-19 starts with ourselves to protect ourselves and others,” he added.

Hun Sen, 68, has said that he will not be vaccinated with the Sinopharm drug. Due to insufficient clinical data, the eligible age range is 18-59.

The first 600,000 of 1 million doses donated by China, a close ally of Cambodia, landed in Phnom Penh on a chartered flight on Sunday.

The first roll-out prioritizes the military as well as dignitaries, officials and journalists at four centers in the capital.

Others inoculated Wednesday included Hun Manet’s brothers Hun Manith and Hun Many, and brothers-in-law Dy Vichea and Sok Puthivuth.

Cambodia is one of the countries least-affected by Covid-19 in the world. Among a population of around 16.5 million people, 479 Covid-19 cases and no deaths have been recorded. EFE

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