Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Said Afif, a member of Morocco’s Scientific Vaccination Committee, has emphasized the importance of the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
“The third dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine is important in particular for health personnel, who may have to leave the service in the event of contamination for at least ten days,” the health official said.
Morocco’s technical committee for vaccination has recommended the administration of a third dose for people at risk, he added.
Afif, who is also President of the National Federation of Health, argued that the COVID-19 vaccines are “interchangeable.”
He explained that it is possible to use an AstraZeneca type vaccine for the first two doses and another vaccine for the third, such as Sinopharm or any other type of COVID-19 vaccines.
Afif also commented on Morocco’s vaccination campaign for the 12-17 age category.
In August, Morocco expanded its vaccination campaign to 12-17 aged students in preparation for the start of the 2021-22 school year.
The government justified the move by pointing out that a large pool of vaccinated citizens and residents is the best way to avert a scary wave of infections among students and educators when schools open.
Afif said that targeting the younger populations for the vaccination campaign increases the immunity of the general population, as the frequent movement of young people is often the source of contamination among older family members.
The doctor also expressed satisfaction with the overall vaccination campaign, emphasizing that it will allow Morocco to achieve a connective immunity of 80% of the population by December.
Afif also announced that Morocco is expected to receive four million doses of Sinopharm this week on September 25.
To date, Morocco has fully vaccinated 17,943,587 people, while 21,580,332 have received their first dose of the vaccine.
