Fifteen Covid-19 cases in Phnom Penh’s Olympic commune, 30 in Kandal province, and eight in the capital’s Sen Sok district who have yet to be placed at a treatment center were among 64 new cases announced by the Health Ministry on Wednesday.
The new cases were one shy of the highest daily total seen in the country, of 65 new cases on February 25.
Cambodia now has 574 active cases, more than half of the 1,124 total Covid-19 cases recorded since the beginning of last year.
As cases mount as part of the “February 20” outbreak, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday told provincial and municipal authorities to be prepared with crematoriums to handle potential Covid-19 corpses. Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng said six new crematoriums were being built in Kampong Speu province to accommodate the capital’s needs.
The ministry’s Wednesday total included 40 Cambodian, 22 Chinese and two Vietnamese people. Thirty were housed at the Kandal provincial hospital, five in Prey Veng, two in Preah Sihanouk, one in Siem Reap and 18 in Phnom Penh. The ministry said it had yet to find a hospital to place eight other Phnom Penh patients.
It also announced 11 recoveries, all in Phnom Penh.
Hun Sen over the weekend asked state institutions and private businesses to have staff work from home as much as possible to prevent crowding in streets and offices. Schools have been closed in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Prey Veng and Preah Sihanouk, and the Senate is working to advance a Covid-19 law it says will allow the country to avoid declaring a state of emergency.
The country has given out more than 180,000 doses as part of its Covid-19 vaccination program so far, with two types of vaccines made available free of charge to both Cambodians and foreigners depending on status and age group. The ministry has announced a mobile app and registration website at cambodia-vaccine.gov.kh.
