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Dutch public radio station NPO Radio 1 has applauded Morocco’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign, saying the North African country’s response to the pandemic is by most measures, one of the world’s most effective.
In a program devoted to evaluating Morocco’s COVID-19 response since the country reported its first case a year ago, the Dutch radio noted Morocco’s “firm” management of the health crisis.
In addition to a strict lockdown in the early days of the global COVID-19 panic, the Moroccan government also clamped down on false news and misinformation that characterized the first weeks of the pandemic.
While Morocco’s “harsh” and “firm” social distancing measures have elicited poignant criticism in some circles, NPR Radio suggested the country’s approach has been largely successful.
Compared to almost all developed countries, Morocco has witnessed a lower mortality rate and a very high and particularly encouraging recovery rate.
Moroccan authorities’ inclination to take COVID-19 seriously, which included the cautious move of repeatedly extending the country’s emergency measures even when the virus seemed to be waning at various points in recent weeks, has paid dividends.
But even more impressive has been the pace and success of the recently launched vaccination camping, NPO Radio noted.
Read Also: Morocco’s COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Outpaces Major Global Powers
Since starting its vaccine roll out on January 28, with King Mohammed VI taking the first jab to “inspire” more Moroccans to take the plunge, Morocco’s vaccination rate “has remarkably accelerated” and is on track to reach its goals, the Dutch radio reported.
It noted that not only is the country by far the leading African nation on the COVID-19 vaccination front, it is also ahead of the majority of European countries.
As it dawned on the Moroccan government that vaccination was the surest way out of the pandemic, the Dutch radio explained, it entered early into discussions with pharmaceutical companies and reached agreements with AstraZeneca and Sinopharm to acquire enough doses to immunize its population.
From the outset of its vaccination campaign, while the EU engaged in what some observers say was a self-defeating debate about the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for the elderly, Morocco had already made up its mind on the matter.
The North African country’s authorities were certain about their goals and plans; they went ahead despite discouraging reports from Europe, saying that there was enough evidence supporting the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for older people.
Despite the pandemic’s profound socio-economic repercussions on Morocco’s economic outlook, the country has worked commendably hard to carry out its vaccination campaign, according to the Dutch radio.
Morocco’s vaccination campaign has so far been successful and could accelerate its economic recovery and return to normalcy, it concluded.
NPR Radio’s coverage of Morocco’s vaccine rollout adds to the growing list of international observers applauding Morocco’s “successful” and “inspiring” response to COVID-19.
Earlier this week, BBC journalist Katty Kay listed Morocco among countries that “are ahead of the curve on distributing the vaccine.”
Also this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) congratulated Morocco on being among the first 10 countries that have “successfully completed the challenge of vaccination against COVID-19.”
