Morocco’s Minister of Health Khaled Ait Taleb welcomed the public’s solidarity against the pandemic
Rabat – Morocco’s vaccination campaign is in full swing and enjoying broad support from the public, according to Morocco’s Minister of Health Khaled Ait Taleb.
After visiting several vaccination centers, the Moroccan minister issued a press statement in which he expressed great satisfaction with the way the national anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign is taking place.
During his remarks in Marrakesh on Tuesday, the Minister of Health expressed his satisfaction with the positive response the campaign has received from the public.
“Citizens continue to flock to the Covid-19 vaccination centers,” he stated. Amid a difficult health crisis, a large number of Moroccan citizens have now participated in the national anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Ait Taleb argued that public enthusiasm regarding the campaign has ensured that hundreds of thousands of citizens have received the first dose of the vaccine in Morocco. Describing the figures as “very honorable and very satisfying,” he added that he was satisfied with the organization of the large-scale operation and the “excellent conditions” in which it is taking place.
Ait Taleb’s tour of vaccination centers comes at a time of local controversy in the capital region.
Meanwhile, a press release by the wilaya of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region announced on Wednesday opening an investigation concerning the vaccination of the president of the council of the prefecture of Skhirat-Temara.
The investigation will determine whether the public official received preferential treatment as he is not listed among those to be covered in the first round of vaccinations.
Morocco is implementing a selective first phase as the country has so far received only 2.5 million vaccines from the 66 million doses it has ordered.
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While the country aims to eventually vaccinate 33 million citizens and residents to achieve herd immunity, the first phase of the vaccination is aimed at specific categories of people. Included are teachers, health officials, and security officials aged 40 or above, the elderly, as well as others in high-risk categories.
Morocco’s government has faced a significant challenge in stopping the spread of the virus, amid a drastic reduction in revenues from its important tourism sector. With planes grounded and borders closed, the sector has faced a devastating year, especially as many who work in the industry do so in an informal manner.
But with the start of the vaccination campaign last week, the country now aims to turn the page by rapidly vaccinating significant swaths of the population to reach herd immunity.
