Preah Sihanouk province on September 10 concluded its Covid-19 vaccination campaign after vaccinating more than 97 per cent of its adult population and opening a vaccination centre for those who have not received the jabs.

Speaking during a closing ceremony in the presence of Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine – who is also head of the national Covid-19 vaccination commission – governor Kuoch Chamroeun said there were a total of 19 vaccination sites and 1,817 frontline workers including medical personnel on standby throughout the coastal province.

He said 223,170 people, or 97.72 per cent of the province’s adult population, had been vaccinated. Authorities have now opened a vaccination site to inoculate the remaining 5,207 adults and the 12-17 age group.

“We’ve turned the Techo Sen Kammakar Primary and Middle School in Sihanoukville’s Commune IV into a vaccination centre for people aged 12 and older,” he said.

Chamroeun noted that the province has a population of 307,817 including 143,323 women and girls. And among its 223,377 adults, 103,783 are women.

During the campaign, the provincial health department received a total of 295,584 vaccine doses – 176,788 of Sinopharm's shot; 12,678 of Sinovac's; and 15,000 of AstraZeneca's (AZ) jab, which is marketed as CoviShield.

The province also received 67,264 doses of Sinovac to vaccinate the 12-17 age group; 5,624 doses of UK-made AZ and 18,230 doses of Japan-made AZ to be used as booster shots.

Vandine reiterated her call for people to strictly adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures even though they have been fully vaccinated.