AKP Phnom Penh, February 28, 2021 --

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, will get vaccinated with AstraZeneca vaccine next Thursday.

"If nothing changes, I will be vaccinated at 8:30 am on Mar. 4, 2021 at Calmette Hospital along with a press conference," said Samdech Techo Hun Sen in a Facebook message this evening.

The Ministry of Health has already announced about the 324,000 doses out of 1.104.000 doses of India-made AstraZeneca vaccine that Cambodia must receive in the first half of 2021, as a primary aid provided by the COVAX Centre (COVAX Facility), he continued, adding that the vaccine will arrive in Cambodia on Mar. 2 at 19:50, and H.E. Prof. Mam Bunheng will represent the Royal Government of Cambodia to receive the vaccine from the representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at Phnom Penh International Airport.

"This is the fruit of the international cooperation that Cambodia has made with its multilateral partners and the United Nations, especially with WHO and UNICEF," the Premier underlined.

According to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, COVAX will provide vaccine for 20% of the total Cambodian population of 16 million people, which is equivalent to 3.2 million people or 6.4 million doses of vaccine.

"Cambodia would like to thank all the countries, companies and charitable people around the world who have supported us through COVAX," said the Prime Minister.

The COVAX Facility is an unprecedented global effort to provide every country in the world with equitable access to safe COVID-19 vaccines as rapidly as possible. COVAX Facility is led by GAVI, CEPI and the WHO in partnership with UNICEF. Cambodia is among the first countries in the Western Pacific Region to receive vaccines from COVAX Facility.

By C. Nika