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Rabat – Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani announced on Monday that Morocco is negotiating with three more companies to acquire a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one is available on the international market.
Speaking before Parliament, the official pointed out that the negotiations are taking place after Morocco already signed two agreements with other vaccine producers.
The agreements are in line with Morocco’s proactive approach to stem the spread of the pandemic.
El Othmani said the government is determined to make a safe and effective vaccine available and to ensure that Morocco is one of the first countries in the world to acquire it.
The head of government, however, acknowledged that it is difficult to determine a date for marketing a vaccine.
He also expressed hope to see such a solution available at the end of the year or at the start of 2021.
In September, Morocco’s Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to purchase doses of a potential COVID-19 from Russian pharmaceutical group R-Pharm.
R-Pharm inked a licensing deal with the UK’s AstraZeneca in July to produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
In September, El Othmani also announced the signing of agreements with two laboratories to secure sufficient anti-COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as clinical trials are completed.
The official said that Morocco signed agreements with Chinese and British-Swedish laboratories to secure the drugs.
Morocco also signed in August an agreement with China National Biotec Group Limited (CNBG) on COVID-19 vaccine trials.
Like others across the world, the North African country is racing to secure doses of a vaccine. Morocco’s determination is ever more important due to a worrying increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
To date, Morocco has confirmed 175,749 COVID-19 cases, including 2,976 deaths and 146,421 recoveries.
