Just So You Know, Cambodia Rejects Sinovac Vaccine Because It Doesn't Work As A Chinese Guinea Pig

Sinovac vaccine arrives at Soetta Airport (Source: State Secretariat)

JAKARTA - Cambodia will receive one million doses for the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations. But the country will not use China's COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine.

Quoting Nikkei Asia, Friday, December 18, Cambodia's Prime Minister (PM) Hun Sen said vaccine stocks had been ordered through the UN-backed COVAX facility, which subsidizes vaccines for 92 low-income countries. But Hun Sen said his country would not accept vaccines that were not certified by the global health agency.

"Cambodia is not a trash can and not a place for vaccine trials," said Hun Sen.

Hun Sen's decision appears to rule out the original agreement, namely that China secured the Sinovac vaccine for Cambodia from the start. China, which is Cambodia's main ally, pledged to support vaccination efforts in Cambodia.

In August, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the Mekong countries that they would be given priority once a vaccine developed by China was ready. This was echoed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a visit to Cambodia in October.

The Khmer Times reports that the Chinese ambassador in Cambodia has been in contact with the government about the potential spread of a Chinese-made vaccine. In all, Hun Sen said his government aims to obtain 26 million doses to inject 13 million of the 16 million Cambodians free of charge.

WHO representative in Cambodia Li Ailan said he hoped the vaccine would be available in Cambodia as early as 2021 or by mid-year. Hun Sen also said the government will allocate funds of 100 million to 200 million US dollars to pay for vaccines.

The government has also received more than US $ 48 million in donations from around 38 thousand people. The donations came from powerful Cambodian business figures, who analysts say is an illustrative example of the patronage networks that sustain wealth and power in the country.

The billionaire Malaysian boss of Cambodia's largest casino, NagaWorld, donated US $ 5 million. Some very wealthy local tycoons, known as "oknha" also gave sums of millions of dollars.

Such contributions are common to the Cambodian patronage system. The elite curse by funneling cash to humanitarian organizations linked to the prime minister and the ruling Cambodian People's Party, such as the Cambodian Red Cross which is run by the wife of the Cambodian PM.

Cambodian government spending on health care is among the lowest in the Southeast Asia region. Meanwhile its citizens face high health expenditures themselves, according to the World Bank.

Even so, Cambodia remains in an enviable position. Cambodia has recorded only 362 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths. Of these, 41 are connected to the country's first locally transmitted cluster, which emerged late last month after spreading through a family gathering.