PHNOM PENH: The booster shot program for adolescents aged 12 to 18 began on Monday, with over 12,000 people coming to get their shot on the first day according to the Ministry of Health. Until now, over 1.7 million adolescents in Cambodia have already received the second dose of the vaccine, meaning that a significant number of adolescents are currently eligible for the booster dose. Cambodia first launched its third-dose booster shot campaign for adults over the age of 18 in early October 2021.
EAC News went to a vaccination center in Phnom Penh to ask some of the adolescents there why they had come to get their third dose of the vaccine.
17-year-old Choeung David, said “The reason I came to get the booster shot is to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the new variant, Omicron, that is spreading around the world. This new variant is spreading faster than before. One more reason is because the government has introduced the booster shot program for adolescents from age 12 to 18.”
Sin Chan Dalin, also 17 years old, stated that “Because as youth, we need to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the community and also in our family.”
After receiving their booster shots, we asked the teens how they were feeling and if they had any extra words they would like to share. 15-year-old Chan Lyheng said that he is happy for the feeling of safety the booster dose gives him. “The pain is okay, but after getting the vaccine I will feel safer when I go to play soccer,” he said.
Choeung David also said he feels safer now that he got his booster shot, which has him “feeling like I’m wearing a bullet proof vest to protect myself from the virus.” He also extended his thanks to the Royal Government and Prime Minister Hun Sen for always finding solutions to providing vaccines and other medicine to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Cambodia.
Close to 90% of Cambodia’s 16 million population has now been fully vaccinated. This includes 96.57% of those over the age of 18, 95.52% of adolescents aged 12 to 17, and 95.37% of children aged 6 to 11 who have been fully vaccinated. Regarding the booster program, currently over 3.6 million people aged 18 and above have received their third dose of the vaccine.
The Royal Government and the Ministry of Health continue to urge all eligible citizens to go and get vaccinated and also receive their booster shots.
