PHNOM PENH: The Secretary of State and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Dr Or Vandine, recalled how 1 November 2021 was the day that Cambodia was able to return to a normal life following a fierce fight against Covid-19. She further stated that Prime Minister Hun Sen has been the savior of the Cambodian people twice, first on 7 January 1979 when declaring victory against genocide, and the second on 1 November 2021 when Cambodia was able to reopen again.

On the first anniversary of the reopening of the country on 1 November 2022, Dr Or Vandine expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Hun Sen for saving the lives of the Cambodian people from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"1 November 2022 is the first anniversary of the re-opening of the Cambodian economy and society, and it is the day we all remember that the presence of Prime Minister Hun Sen is the [country's] lifeblood," she said.

"Without the Prime Minister, we would not have been able to escape the onslaught of Covid-19."

She added that Cambodia has administered 10 million Covid-19 vaccines for people aged 18 and above, which was the target age group set by the Royal Government of Cambodia. Additionally, 149 people over the age of 100 also received the Covid-19 vaccine.

Dr Or Vandine further called on members of the public to continue safeguarding against the virus and to go and get vaccinated because Covid-19 has not disappeared from life yet. She added that the Covid-19 virus has been evolving and gone through many mutations, with the recent discovery of the latest XBB variant spread across 35 countries already, and the BQ1 variant spreading across 65 countries.

"Therefore, please continue to be careful by implementing the special preventive measures, the '3 Do's and 3 Don't's', to get the Covid-19 vaccine, the third, fourth and fifth booster doses to maintain individual and community immunity, as well as to ensure sustainability in daily life, following the new normal path," said Dr Or Vandine.