Phnom Penh: Booster shots for frontline workers have come to Phnom Penh, following the roll-out in seven border provinces. The Royal Government is prioritizing doctors, nurses, military and police. One of the venues being used in the capital is the National Pediatric Hospital.
At least two days of the booster vaccinations at the National Pediatric Hospital are exclusively for their own staff. The hospital caters to children who need medical attention. There is also a Covid-19 ward. Pediatrician Dr. Andreas Hansmann told EAC News that they’ve treated three children for Covid, and that they had only mild cases. They were placed in a ward together with their parents. He says that since the February community outbreak, the hospital has been relatively quiet. He believes people who need medical help are choosing to avoid hospitals fearing the virus, but with the booster shots, Dr. Hansmann says it’s important that all hospital staff should be vaccinated:
“It is very important for us because as you know, Delta variant has arrived in Cambodia since about a couple of weeks coming over from Thailand and we know that the Delta variant is much more transmissible compared to the other variants previously. So, we already had small outbreaks in hospitals in Cambodia and in Phnom Penh of healthcare workers who got infected from patients, from other staff despite all precautions. It’s just very transmissible and once a staff get infected hospitals or wards quickly have to close down and patient care is no longer possible.”
Another pediatrician, Dr. Meng Chhay has encouraged other frontline workers to get their booster shots saying, “First of all, we already know that Covid-19 has another variant. We give booster shots to our hospital staff and frontline doctors to reduce the spread and create antigens, especially to protect us from the delta variant. So, according to the Prime Minister’s speech, he wants all of the doctors here and frontline doctors to get their booster shot.”
Pediatricians at the National Pediatric Hospital are encouraging other health workers to get their booster shots fast. They say, it is very important because if one or two staff at a hospital test positive for Covid-19, then all staff will have to be quarantined – and then there’ll be no-one to take care of the children that so desperately need their help.
