PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MoH) announced Wednesday that another 44 new cases of the Delta COVID-19 variant were found, bringing the total number of such cases in the Southeast Asian nation to 429.
Laboratory testing conducted by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia detected the Delta variant on 31 local people, 12 laborers coming back from Vietnam through land border and one returnee from Malaysia via a connecting flight in Singapore, the MoH said in a statement.
The local infections were spotted in capital Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Speu, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Svay Rieng and Koh Kong.
Health Minister Mam Bunheng renewed his call on people across the country to be more cautious as the Delta variant is more transmissible than other previous strains.
"People who are required to undergo a quarantine must strictly comply with the rules in order to prevent large-scale community transmission," he said in the statement.
On Tuesday, the MoH announced that home treatment would not be permitted for the patients infected with the Delta variant, saying that the patients must be hospitalized at least 21 days and after being discharged from hospital, they must go into a self-quarantine at home for another 14 days.
In Cambodia, COVID-19 treatment is free of charge for all local patients. Enditem
