Cambodian Prime Minister To Be 1st Person In Country To Receive China's Sinopharm Vaccine

BANGKOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2021) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced on social networks that he will be the first person in his country to take China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19, as he believes this move will boost confidence.

The English translation of his statement, which was written in Khmer language, was provided by the Khmer Times newspaper.

"Today, in order to build trust in vaccines and promote the fight against COVID-19, I wish to announce that the first injection of the vaccine will be given to me. I must be on the front line, which has been my normal habit for decades," Sen wrote on Facebook.

The prime minister also said that he accepted China's offer to donate 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to Cambodia.

Vaccination will be free for the citizens, Sen assured.

One million doses are not enough for Cambodia, as the government plans to inoculate between 10 and 13 million people or 80 percent of the population, the prime minister continued.

Millions of people both in China and across the globe, including Chinese leaders and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, have been already inoculated with Sinopharm, Sen said.

Sinopharm, which has been officially approved for use and registered only in China so far, has an efficacy rate of around 79 percent, clinical trials show.

Cambodia has registered 439 coronavirus cases and 385 recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic. The country has not experienced any coronavirus-related fatalities.