Cambodia and Lao PDR Report Continuous Drop in COVID-19 Cases in April Amid Festivities

Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic have reported a steady drop in average COVID-19 cases per day in April 2022, according to a report on “Vaccination Rates, Effectiveness, and Safety” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In Cambodia, the average COVID-19 cases per day dropped from 164 to 18.4, and deaths decreased from 1 to 0.06, marking a fall in case fatality rate from 0.43% to 0.35%. In Lao PDR, daily infection rates declined steadily, averaging at 986 for April 2022 from 1102 in March 2022, while average deaths per day plateaued between 1 to 3. The case fatality rate remained low at 0.26%. 

The decrease in cases is remarkable considering April festivities held in both countries. In Cambodia, all tourist destinations were reopened, and more than 5.1 million domestic travelers took trips across the country in April. Similarly, New Year celebrations from 14-16 Apr 2022 in Lao PDR, as well as the gradual reopening of Lao PDR’s borders since Jan 2022, did not result in a major increase in the number of cases. An additional report by the Star noted that since the Lao New Year, daily COVID-19 cases have dropped to less than 500 cases per day across the country. 

As of 30 April 2022, 80% of Cambodia's population and 64.7% of Lao PDR population completed their initial vaccination regime (2 vaccine doses).