Cambodia rolls out COVID-19 vaccination drive for 5-year-olds with China's Sinovac vaccine

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday began to vaccinate children under 5 years old with China's Sinovac COVID-19 jabs, as vaccinations for those aged 6 years and older were complete, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Peace Palace in capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen called on parents or legal guardians to bring their kids for the jab in order to protect them from COVID-19.

Ministry of Health (MoH)'s Secretary of State Or Vandine said 5-year-old children across the country will receive two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and the gap between the first and second shots is 28 days.

When taking their kids for the jab, parents or legal guardians must bring along a copy of their birth certificates, family record books or passports, she said.

As of Oct. 31, Cambodia had vaccinated 85.68 percent, or 13.7 million of its 16-million population, Hun Sen said, having achieved the target about eight months earlier than planned.

"We are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, and social and economic activities in all areas have been gradually reopened, with the adaptation to the new normal," Hun Sen said. "Today, schools across the country are reopened."

Cambodia reported 91 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, pushing the national total caseload to 118,613, the Ministry of Health said, adding that six new fatalities were registered, bringing the overall death toll to 2,794.