Cambodia vaccinating kids aged 3 against Omicron

A boy receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

Cambodia began vaccinating 3- and 4-year-olds with Chinese-made Sinovac shots Wednesday after finding young children accounting for many new infections.
Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed to parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as they can and said five of his 21 grandchildren and one of his daughters have tested positive for the omicron variant.

"Overcoming COVID-19 depends not just on the government or the Health Ministry, but needs participation of all the people," Hun Sen said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a wastewater treatment facility near capital Phnom Penh. He had endorsed the vaccination plan for the younger children last week after health officials found at least 25per cent newly reported infections involved children under 5.

Cambodia approved shots for ages 6-11 in September last year as part of reopening its schools. In November, vaccinations for 5-year-olds were approved. More than 80per cent of Cambodia's almost 17 million people have received at least two shots. China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines account for most inoculations.

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