PHNOM PENH: The total number of Delta variant cases in Cambodia has jumped to 3,323 after 669 new ones were reported, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement on Thursday.

A total of 1,113 cases have been detected in the capital Phnom Penh, while the rest were found in 23 provinces, the statement said, adding that to date only Kep province has been spared from the highly contagious strain.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng called on Cambodians to keep vigilance as the Delta variant is more transmissible than other previously circulating strains.

“We have to adapt to the new normal in order to prevent and contain the spread of Covid-19, especially its variants,” he said in the statement.

The minister also urged the people to continue wearing a face mask, washing hands frequently, maintaining physical distancing, and avoiding crowded areas, and to receive Covid-19 vaccines when their turns come.

The Southeast Asian nation launched a Covid-19 inoculation drive in February, targeting to vaccinate 12 million people, or 75 percent of the kingdom’s 16-million population, by the end of this year.

Most of the vaccines used in the kingdom’s immunisation program are China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm.

As of September 8, some 11.36 million people, or 71 percent of the total population, have received at least one vaccine dose, while 9.16 million, or 57 percent, have received both required doses and 710,730 have received a third dose or booster dose, the MoH said.  (Xinhua)