Phnom Penh: Half a million doses of Sinopharm are to be delivered to the kingdom on Monday. The vaccines are a gift to the Ministry of Defence from the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Defence Minister, Tea Banh, will personally welcome the shipment at Phnom Penh International Airport. In addition to the 500,000 doses of Sinopharm, China is also expected to provide approximately 20 million Yuan (approximately $3 million dollars) worth of medical equipment including oxygen generators, respirators and PPE suits.

While the vaccines are a gift to the Cambodian military, they are not likely to be used on military personnel. The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces have been fully-vaccinated and are already receiving booster shots of AstraZeneca. It is likely the Sinopharm shots will be administered to members of the general public who have yet to be vaccinated.

Since 7 February 2021, China has provided a total of 21.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. 3.2 million doses have been donated, while 18.5 million have been bought by the government.