Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed for patience when it comes to the rollout of booster shots. He stressed on Monday that those already fully-vaccinated with AstraZeneca are not being prioritised for a third shot of the same vaccine. He says the only people being given a third booster shot now, are frontline workers who have been fully inoculated with either Sinovac or Sinopharm.

The Prime Minister says frontline workers who are stationed along the border with Thailand are his top priority. He says these personnel include medical doctors, the military, police and healthcare workers who run the risk of exposure to the Delta variant. He also added that veterans and athletes who will compete in the SEA Games are part of the priority group.

The Prime Minister says that, for now, Cambodia simply doesn’t have enough supply of AstraZeneca for a mass rollout of booster shots, but there’s certainly time to acquire them. The Ministry of Health said on Monday that booster shots of AstraZeneca should only be administered at least six months after the first dose of either Sinovac or Sinopharm, meaning that if you received your first dose back in May, it’ll be November before you qualify. The rollout of booster shots for frontline personnel is already underway though in seven provinces. It’ll begin in Phnom Penh on Thursday.