Cambodia receives new batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

Photo taken on June 12, 2021 shows boxes of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arriving at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia Saturday received another batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, boosting the Southeast Asian nation in its inoculation drive. Cambodian health ministry's secretary of state Yok Sambath, who welcomed the vaccine's arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport, said the vaccine was purchased from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia Saturday received another batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, boosting the Southeast Asian nation in its inoculation drive.

Cambodian health ministry's secretary of state Yok Sambath, who welcomed the vaccine's arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport, said the vaccine was purchased from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

"It's a new testament to the unbreakable ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China," she said.

Cambodia has so far acquired more than 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility.

The kingdom launched an anti-COVID-19 inoculation drive on Feb. 10.

Health ministry's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that to date, some 5.22 million vaccine doses have been administered in the kingdom, with 2.39 million people having been fully vaccinated with two doses.

The country is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million out of its 16 million population by the end of this year or early next year at the latest, she added.

Cambodia registered 638 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the national caseload to 37,959 with 320 deaths and 31,222 recoveries, according to the health ministry.