Cambodia's Covid-19 issues continue to surge; govt reports 790 new Covid-19 cases, 22 more deaths

People get vaccinated against Covid-19 on the closing day of the vaccination campaign in Phnom Penh on July 8. - Phnom Penh Post/ANN

PHNOM PENH, July 19 (Xinhua): Cambodia on Monday confirmed 790 new Covid-19 cases, raising the national total caseload to 67,971 so far, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The new infections included 581 local cases and 209 imported cases, the ministry said.

Twenty-two more fatalities had been recorded, bringing the overall death toll to 1,128, it said, adding that 1,087 patients recovered, taking the total number of recoveries to 60,017.

The Southeast Asian nation began a Covid-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 10, with China being the key vaccine supplier.

As of July 18, some 10 million vaccine doses had been administered, with 5.91 million people receiving their first dose and 4.13 million having completed the two-dose inoculation, the ministry said.

The kingdom is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million out of its 16 million population by November.

World Health Organization representative to Cambodia Li Ailan praised Cambodia for its faster-than-expected vaccination process.

"It is very encouraging that Cambodia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is progressing well, faster than originally planned. Meanwhile, ongoing efforts are being made to ensure routine childhood immunization services...it is challenging but vital," she wrote on Twitter. - Xinhua