PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – Cambodia on Thursday confirmed its first death from COVID-19 since the pandemic began more than a year ago as it battled a new local outbreak that has infected hundreds of people.
The 50-year-old man was confirmed infected last month while working as a driver for a Chinese company off the coast of Sihanoukville and died Thursday morning at a Khmer-Soviet friendship hospital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Health in a statement.
Cambodia has confirmed only 1,163 cases of coronavirus infection since the pandemic began, but is battling a new local outbreak that has infected several hundred people.
According to the Ministry of Health, the new outbreak was sought by a foreign resident who broke his quarantine in a hotel and went to a nightclub in early February. This caused a lot of infections and led the government on February 20 to announce a two-week closure of all public schools, cinemas, bars and entertainment areas in Phnom Penh.
Since then, the government has extended the closures for more than two weeks for schools, gyms, concert halls, museums and other entertainment venues in Phnom Penh, near Kandal province and the coastal province of Sihanoukville.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Health said 39 cases were reported by local transmission.
As the outbreak grows, a defunct luxury hotel in the capital has become a 500-room coronavirus hospital and authorities are enforcing a new law imposing criminal penalties for violating health regulations.
The country began its vaccination campaign in February with 600,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine produced in China. He also received 324,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine this month which were given and produced in India.