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Rapid vaccination rates ‘A cause for celebration’ and may indicate Cambodia will reopen ahead of neighbouring countries.
Cambodia’s aggressive vaccination record is showing results that indicate it is becoming increasingly likely the Kingdom will reopen ahead of neighbouring countries.
The news follows analysis by Mekong Strategic Partners (MSP).
“I think it’s fair to say that Cambodia has exceeded everyone’s expectations. The government has been criticised in part for what they’ve got wrong or what they’ve done wrong, but you really need to give them full marks for how they’ve managed the vaccine programme,” MSP Managing Director Stephen Higgins told Khmer Times.
MSP analysed data from The Financial Times Vaccine Tracker, Executive One Consulting (Xl), Thompson Reuters, The Straits Times, the World Bank and Our World in Data.
David Benaim, founder of X1 forecast 70 percent of the Cambodian population, including children, will be fully vaccinated by Sept 21. A total of 80 percent of the adult population is expected to be fully vaccinated by Aug 31.
The Philippines is anticipated to follow and inoculate the same percentage of its population by March 22 next year.
Thailand and Indonesia are projected to reach the 70 percent mark by July 22, 2022.
Vietnam, according to Xl data cited by MSP, is expected to reach the threshold on Sept 22, 2022.
Cambodia ranked first in terms of vaccine doses per capita globally, having inoculated 1.7 percent from Aug 4 to 11, according to Financial Times data.
Phnom Penh is also the most vaccinated capital in the world with around 99 percent of adults fully vaccinated, according to MSP.
The investment and advisory firm credited low vaccine hesitancy, strong contact tracing, use of the military to support vaccine distribution and delivery and a greater sense of community responsibility for the vaccine rollout’s success.
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Aug 1 that citizens will have to take Oxford‘s AstraZeneca booster shots, while the US only announced plans for it yesterday.
Khmer Times previously reported that there was strong support in the business community for Phnom Penh to have the country’s first travel bubble because of its strong vaccination rate.
MSP described the country’s vaccination rollout as “remarkable” and stressed that it “dramatically [outperformed] many developed and developing nations”.
“The first thing a reopening will do is support domestic demand, supporting retail and other services such as restaurants. That will encourage further investment and, while a full rebound in tourism is a couple of years away, you will start to see some tourists come back once you no longer have quarantine requirements,” Higgins said.
“We think the second half will still be challenging because of the restrictions in place and that it is really in 2022 where you’ll see a rebound,” he continued.
MSP reported that high vaccination rates will improve economic and health outcomes, maintaining its 6 percent gross domestic product growth for 2022 outlook, according to the organisation’s estimates.
“Cambodia should complete its vaccine programme eight months ahead of plan and up to 12 months before neighbouring countries,” the report read.
Our World in Data figures show that while new confirmed cases per million of people in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are rising, Cambodia and Indonesia are the only two countries to see a drop in new Coronavirus contractions.
“Cambodia’s lower death rate compared with ASEAN peers is equivalent to an additional 340 Cambodians surviving each week,” MPS said.
The Ministry of Health previously confirmed the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will probably become available soon to individuals through the private Phnom Penh Royal Hospital.
MSP said the best vaccine is the one that you can get.
“We think there is only a small subset of the community that will be able to afford the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines offered privately, so it is unlikely to have an impact on our outlook,” noted Higgins.
The US Center for Disease Control has raised its threshold for herd immunity to 80 percent because of concerns related to the Delta variant. Herd immunity is the indirect protection from infectious disease that happens when a population is immune through vaccination or through previous infection.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50917989/rapid-vaccination-rates-a-cause-for-celebration/