Approximately 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a donation of the Japanese government in addition to the one million doses already delivered to Cambodia, arrived in Phnom Penh this evening.
H.E. Prof. Mam Bunheng, Minister of Health, and H.E. Mikami Masahiro, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia, welcomed the arrival of the vaccines, which Japan is licensed to produce, at Phnom Penh International Airport.
Dr. Li Ailan, WHO Representative in Cambodia; and Ms. Foroogh Foyouzat, Representative of UNICEF in Cambodia, were also present on the occasion.
On behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, H.E. Prof. Mam Bunheng expressed his gratitude to Japan for its humanitarian assistance to Cambodia, particularly in combating COVID-19.
For his part, H.E. Mikami Masahiro reaffirmed Japan’s continued support for Cambodia in the fight against the pandemic.
According to the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia, to date, the Japanese government has provided a total of more than US$60 million worth of assistance to Cambodia. This has included the donation of medical equipment; the renovation of hospitals; support, through international organisations, for infection prevention measures at the border; and the provision of equipment to properly transport and store vaccines.
Japan has also provided a loan of approximately US$227 million which is being used to provide financial support to people affected by COVID-19 and to strengthen provision within the healthcare system.
With the newly arrived vaccines, Cambodia has now more than 41 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from purchases and donations: 7,800,000 doses of Sinopharm, 29,424,800 doses of Sinovac, 2,661,400 doses of AstraZeneca, 1,064,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson, and 188,160 doses of Moderna.
Of the vaccines, more than 3 million were from COVAX Facility.
As of Dec. 18, some 88.90 percent of the total Cambodian population of 16 million have been inoculated against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides domestic vaccination, Cambodia has donated COVID-19 vaccines to some countries in the region, including Lao PDR and Vietnam.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press