25 million Moroccan residents will soon be vaccinated against Covid-19. This operation will be free and compulsory for all citizens over 18 years old. For Hourani Othmane, adviser at the Moroccan embassy in Belgium, “The main objective is to achieve collective immunity, one of the major axes of the fight against the coronavirus”.
The vaccine chosen by the Moroccan government comes from the Chinese company Sinopharma. It has been tested on nearly a million people around the world, including Brazil, Egypt and Morocco. 600 Moroccans had volunteered to participate in clinical trials. According to Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb: “These tests have proven the vaccine’s safety, efficacy and immunity.”
Nadia Lagouiti is Belgian and for 15 years she has worked in Rabat as a pharmacist. For her, this campaign is a good initiative, provided that the vaccine is safe. “Normally I’m against vaccines. I’m not very motivated about this idea, but if it’s for the good of the country, you have to be responsible.”
A well-prepared organization
The vaccination campaign should start during the month of December. The government is preparing 2,880 medical stations. Moroccan citizens will be able to go there to receive the vaccine. Mobile units are also planned to take care of nursing staff, administrations, prisons … The entire population should be vaccinated by the end of March 2021. The Moroccan government is following WHO recommendations and will target d ‘first of all caregivers, the elderly and individuals at risk.
King’s Square
According to Nadia Lagouiti, pharmacist, her clients are not very optimistic about the vaccine. “I think it’s just a matter of timing and the government needs to motivate us more.”
In Morocco, King Mohammed VI provided the impetus for this large-scale campaign. He has always encouraged his government to take drastic measures such as closing borders, confinement… Decisions for which he is greatly appreciated by Moroccans. Christian Leyens is originally from Namur. He has lived for 10 years in Agadir where he is a farmer. For him, “Morocco, since the start of the pandemic, has made good decisions thanks to His Majesty. He loves his people and I trust him in his choices”.
Hourani Othmane explains that Morocco is developing a bigger ambition. “We hope to start our own vaccine production in the Mohammed VI technological city of Tangier.” Objective: ensure self-sufficiency and supply the neighbors.
