Morocco receives praise for efficient vaccination campaign

MOROCCO is among the world’s Top 10 countries for the rate at which the Covid-19 vaccine is being administered.

Since the vaccination drive was kicked off at the end of January by King Mohammed VI himself, who received the vaccine on live TV, almost 12 per cent of the population has now received the first dose and about six per cent have had both.

Morocco’s vaccination campaign initially targeted health care workers, security forces and people over the age of 75.

With a daily average over the past week of approximately 400 infections and an incidence of around 13 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Morocco is leading the way for vaccinations in Africa.

There have been 489,096 cases and 8,737 deaths since the pandemic began, according to figures from the Moroccan Ministry of Health.

The President of the Moroccan National Health Federation, Dr Tayeb Hamdi, told national Spanish news source, NIUS, that Morocco was able to learn from what it saw in Europe when the pandemic had still not reached Morocco. The King, he said, decided to act quickly as the health system could not afford a similar situation, and decreed a three-month confinement while closing the borders.

The Moroccan Ministry of Health reports that 4.24 million people have received one dose of the vaccine and 2.11 million have received both and hopes to achieve herd immunity by June.

The State of Emergency remains in place, with curfew from 9pm to 6am and hotels and shops closing at 8pm.

Ramadan begins on April 12, following which, due to family gatherings, another peak is expected, despite the measures being expected to remain in place until the end of Ramadan.

Morocco has suspended flights with 32 countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Algeria and Portugal. Spain and France are not yet included on the list.

The Moroccan vaccination campaign has been taken as an example by many countries and both Moroccans and foreign residents in the country have praised the speed and efficiency of the system, with phone notifications being handled well.

The government is confident that thanks to the low incidence of the virus and the young population in Morocco, the most important sector of the population has received the vaccine.

However, in many places the danger is not perceived and masks are not widely used.

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