Cambodia receives another batch of China-aided Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

A worker transfers packages of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 1, 2021. A plane carrying a new batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine touched down in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Sunday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A plane carrying a new batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine touched down in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Sunday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.

A new batch of vaccine arrived on Sunday morning, he said during the launch of a vaccination drive for the adolescent group aged from 12 to 17.

Hun Sen said China is the key vaccine supplier to Cambodia and expressed his sincere thanks to China for donating and selling vaccines to the Southeast Asian nation regularly and timely.

The Chinese Embassy to Cambodia confirmed the vaccine's new arrival, saying that it was the fifth time that China had donated the jab to Cambodia.

"China and Cambodia are good brothers and friends in a community with shared future," the embassy said. "China will continue to provide unswerving support to Cambodia in its vaccination drive and fight against the COVID-19."

On Saturday, a shipment of 300,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits that China donated to Cambodia also arrived in the kingdom, the embassy said.

Cambodia launched an anti-COVID-19 inoculation drive for adults on Feb. 10 and for the adolescents in the 12-17 age cohort on Aug. 1.

As of July 31, some 7.3 million adults, or 73 percent of the 10 million targeted adult population, had received at least one dose of the vaccines, the health ministry said.

Hun Sen said the kingdom is targeting to vaccinate 12 million people, including 10 million adults and 2 million adolescents, or 75 percent of its 16 million population by November.

Cambodia logged 671 new COVID-19 infections including 265 imported cases on Sunday, pushing the national total caseload to 77,914, the health ministry said, adding that 23 new fatalities were reported, taking the overall death toll to 1,420.