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Coronavirus: Cambodia ‘not shunning’ China vaccines
- Cambodian Ministry of Health says report misquoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as saying country would not buy supplies from China
- Phnom Penh will only use injections approved by the World Health Organization, ministry says
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The Cambodian Ministry of Health has rejected media reports that Prime Minister Hun Sen has publicly shunned the use of Chinese coronavirus vaccines.
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Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine said on Wednesday evening that a media outlet had falsely quoted a speech made by Hun Sen on Tuesday. Without naming the outlet, she said it had claimed Cambodia would not buy Covid-19 vaccines from China.
She said Hun Sen actually said Cambodia would only use vaccines approved by the World Health Organization. He also announced that the country would take part in the WHO-led Covax Facility vaccine scheme which grants lower income countries enough vaccines to inoculate 20 per cent of their population.
He said Cambodia would also buy a further 1 million vaccines from the Covax scheme.
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Poor countries said to be left behind in Covid-19 vaccine race as rich nations get first doses
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The ministry underlined Hun Sen’s statement that Cambodia would only buy vaccines approved by the world health body. Any vaccine issued by the Covax scheme, it said, would require WHO approval.
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