Morocco extends vaccination to people aged 20 and over, signs supply agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech

Morocco, which is making steady strides towards reaching herd immunity, has extended vaccination to the youth aged 20 years and over as the vaccine flow continues unhindered.

The Moroccan Health Ministry, which made the announcement in a statement on Saturday, urged young Moroccan citizens to go to the nearest vaccination center to take their first or second dose.

 

The ministry also called on all target groups to continue to engage in this national campaign, while continuing to fully adhere to preventive measures before, during, and after the vaccination process.

Morocco has started a free vaccination campaign in January, targeting in a first phase the elderly, people with chronic diseases and frontline staff, before progressively extending the campaign to the rest of the population.

 

The Moroccan health ministry has also adopted a set of measures to make vaccination accessible during the holiday season allowing citizens to take doses in which ever city they are.

 

So far, over 10 million people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the North African Kingdom, while nearly 15 million others have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, making of Moroccans by far Africa’s largest vaccinated population.

 

Morocco seeks to reach herd immunity in the nearest future by vaccinating 80 percent of the population which equals more than 25 million people.

 

Meanwhile, Morocco, which has so far used Sinopharm, AstraZeneca and some 300,000 doses of Johson & Johson, is seeking to diversify its sources of vaccine supply and has reportedly signed a vaccine supply agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech.

 

The vaccine supply agreement with Morocco was announced by Pfizer and BioNTech in a press release, according to Moroccan media.

 

Pfizer and BioNTech SE have announced the signing of an agreement with the Ministry of Health in Morocco, Pfizer Inc. and Pfizer SA Laboratories in Morocco, for the supply of their vaccine against COVID-19. The press release also said the deal is part of Pfizer and BioNTech’s global commitment to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The press release did not give any details on the quantities, nor on the delivery dates, except that the deal will be implemented before the end of the year.

 

Pfizer and BioNTech aim to manufacture more than 3 billion doses of their vaccine against Covid-19 worldwide by the end of 2021. To do this, the two laboratories plan to continuously improve processes, expand facilities at manufacturing sites, and enlarge partnerships with new suppliers and manufacturers.

 

In Morocco, however, despite the steady vaccination rate, the number of daily new cases has witnessed lately a surge, which prompted the authorities to tighten restrictions to counter the spread of the virus.

 

They extended the night curfew throughout the Kingdom from 09 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. instead of 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. with the exception of people working in vital and essential sectors and activities.

 

Cafes, restaurants and public transport means are required not to exceed 50% of their capacity, while weddings and other celebrations were banned.