Phnom Penh, Aug 11 (IANS): The number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths in Cambodia is on the gradual decline as more people have been vaccinated against the virus, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Wednesday.

Cambodia confirmed 486 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, a decrease from the peak day of 1,130 cases on June 30, the MoH said, adding that 12 more fatalities were reported on Wednesday, a dramatic drop from the highest daily death toll of 39 recorded on July 15, Xinhua reported.

To date, the Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 83,384 Covid-19 cases, with 1,614 deaths and 77,754 recoveries, the MoH said.

Authorities attributed the fall in new cases and deaths to the higher Covid-19 vaccination rate.

Cambodia launched a Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 10, aiming to inoculate 12 million people, or 75 per cent of its 16-million population by November.

MoH's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that as of August 10, the country has vaccinated 8.39 million people, or 52.48 per cent of the total population.