King Mohammed VI has given the green light for a massive anti-Covid-19 vaccination operation to be launched in his kingdom. The guidelines for this “unprecedented” operation have just been revealed, but several questions remain unanswered.
While Moroccans expected the official announcement of a total containment in view of the increase in cases of Covid-19 contamination, a statement from the royal cabinet came, on the evening of November 9, to change the situation. The launch of a massive vaccination operation against the new coronavirus “in the coming weeks” is announced there, in view of “the acute phase of the pandemic”. As of Wednesday, November 11 at 6 p.m. (Moroccan time, GMT + 1), Morocco had a total of 270,626 positive cases, 4,506 dead, and nearly 970 patients in critical condition. The royal announcement took everyone by surprise.
The surprise press release does not give a precise date for the start of this unprecedented operation and does not name the vaccine that will be used either. It is simply a question of the “vaccine whose safety, efficacy and immunogenicity” have been proven through “the results of clinical studies already completed or still in progress”. As in Morocco, only the vaccine from the Chinese pharmaceutical laboratory CNBG (China National Biotec Group Company Limited) of the Sinopharm Group (China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation) is being tested, so we can conclude that it is the same. this. Moreover, it is still in phase III clinical trial on 600 volunteers in the country. Speaking on a talk show on private Moroccan radio station Luxe Radio on the day of the royal announcement, Bouchra Meddah, no adverse effects ”.
These same remarks were made by the Minister of Health himself. Khalid Ait Taleb explained himself on the subject to parliamentarians on October 26. Already on that date, the Moroccan official assured that the country was ready for mass vaccination of its citizens. 17 days before this declaration, he had held a meeting with the regional health directors ” for the preparation of the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 “. The Moroccans did not know at the time what vaccination it was or who it would be for.
The Moroccan Minister of Health revealed few details about the Chinese vaccine when answering questions from parliamentarians on October 26.
The scientific committee said “yes”
Among the little information unveiled by Khalid Ait Taleb on this vaccine, the minister had clearly stressed that he was referring to the opinion of the National Scientific Committee in charge of monitoring Covid-19 in the kingdom. It is this committee that is also quoted in the communiqué of the royal cabinet. This scientific body judged that “the vaccination campaign is a real response” and “an appropriate means of immunization against the coronavirus and of controlling its spread”.
Doctor Jaâfar Heikel agrees. This Moroccan epidemiologist and specialist in infectious diseases and public health believe that this vaccination campaign is ” excellent news for the country ” which is facing an alarming increase in coronavirus infections, with more than 4,000 cases recorded daily for a few weeks.
“This operation, which will undoubtedly take about three months, will make it possible to protect all citizens if it is carried out successfully. Now, we are crossing our fingers so that it starts as quickly as possible and for the benefit of a maximum of Moroccans and Moroccans by giving the expected good results ”, he underlines at the microphone of Sputnik.
The conclusions of the clinical trial of phase III of the Sinopharm vaccine are expected in mid-November in the country, according to sources familiar with the matter. They should confirm the opinion of the Moroccan committee. It is around this date, according to the same sources, that the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 could start in Morocco. It should reach by the end of March the entire population over the age of 18, according to indiscretions published by the JeuneAfrique information site.
The kingdom is therefore preparing to initially administer to 5 million of its citizens the 10 million doses (two doses per person) purchased from the Chinese laboratory. Priority will be given in particular to frontline workers. These are health personnel, public authorities, and security forces. Members of the national education system are also considered a priority, as are the elderly as well as those who are vulnerable to the virus. The press release from the royal cabinet also indicates that the operation will subsequently be extended to the rest of the population. The diagram thus drawn is inspired by WHO recommendations.
The same source also insists on the accessibility of the vaccine, in a social and solidarity framework. This allusion suggests that vaccination will not be free for everyone. It is also not excluded that vaccines other than that of Sinopharm will be used later. Especially since Morocco has already formalized a request for supply from the Russian pharmaceutical group R-Pharm, the license holder of the British-Swedish vaccine from AstraZeneca. The director of drugs in the Moroccan Ministry of Health has just confirmed to Luxe Radio that Morocco is particularly interested in the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
The global race for Covid-19 vaccine
In terms of vaccination against the new coronavirus, competition is fierce at the global level. Until November 11, 202 candidate vaccines have been identified by the WHO and are the subject of clinical trials, only ten of them have reached phase III to prove their effectiveness on a large scale.
The Chinese Sinopharm announced recently that nearly 60,000 people around the world had received its experimental vaccines. The group is developing two which are in the phase III trial and ensure that no serious adverse effects have been reported. Moreover, these vaccines and that of the other Chinese laboratory Sinovac are already in use in China, where, since July, the world’s first vaccination program against the new coronavirus was launched.
The president of the Confederation of Unions of Community Pharmacists (CUCP), Mohamed Lahbabi, said more about the options available to Morocco.
“It was a strategic choice to be made, at the highest summit of the State, on the advice of the ad hoc scientific committee. The goal is for the kingdom to be among the first to receive enough doses of the vaccine. There were only two possibilities: to contribute financially during the research and development phase, as was the case with Australia which signed a big check or to take part in the clinical trials. Morocco went for the second choice after making sure that Phases I and II of the Chinese vaccine trials went smoothly and without any serious incidents. The country has also decided to diversify its sources of supply, ”he explains.
What then of the results of clinical trials in which Morocco has participated since the end of August 2020? What percentage has the vaccine serum reduced the risk of contamination with Covid-19? How long will the vaccine efficacy last and what regimen will be adopted? All these fundamental questions remain unanswered for the time being.
On social networks, some Moroccan Internet users, worried, ask themselves these same questions and many others:
According to the latest news, according to Mohamed Lahbabi, Morocco has contacted Pfizer to further diversify its sources of supply.
The American group announced that according to preliminary analyzes, the vaccine that it is developing in partnership with the German laboratory BioNTech would be more than 90% effective.
Overriding WHO’s endorsement
Despite the recent announcement from Pfizer and the apparent success of Siniopharm, the WHO has not yet authorized large-scale use of any vaccine worldwide. A barrier that Morocco, for the sake of proactivity, has just decided to jump to curb the spread of the coronavirus which has hit the kingdom hard. It is the first country in Africa to do so.
In the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates just approved Sinopharm’s vaccine for urgent use by healthcare workers and senior officials. Other countries like Peru or Argentina could follow because, like the Shereefian kingdom, they too are partners in the global testing campaign led by CNBG.
Commenting on this rapid decision, Dr. Heikel believes that in exceptional circumstances, exceptional response.
“We simply have no other choice. Apart from primary protection – wearing a mask, regular hand washing, and physical distancing – the only weapon we have left is the vaccine. Obviously, caution must be exercised, but in an era where a virus has managed to have so many dramatic economic, social, and health consequences, we must measure what we call the risk/benefit. And for now, it seems that the profits are well above, ”he concludes.
