Kenitra – The Provincial Directorate of National Education and Vocational Training of Khemisset denied the death of a student rumoured to have passed after receiving a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A video recently went viral alleging that a teenager had died in the city of Khemisset after being administered the COVID-19 vaccine.
The directorate debunked the content of the video in a statement this Sunday, September 5, saying that the rumors are “fake news.”
“The dissemination of a video in which two people claim that a student died immediately after receiving the first dose of the vaccine in the province of Khemisset is fake news,” said the statement.
It added that “the process of vaccination of students aged 12-17 years is taking place in a normal atmosphere, and is met with significant enthusiasm from parents and students in the province.”
Saying that the video is unfounded and only aimed at disrupting Morocco’s promising vaccination campaign against the spread of the COVID virus, the delegation said it would file a complaint against the people who were behind the sharing of the video.
Moroccan health authorities have faced the threat of fake news surrounding COVID-19 and its vaccines since the early days of the pandemic.
The ministry of health, along with health professionals across Morocco, routinely denounce videos, social media posts, and fake news about the vaccines and their supposedly harmful side effects.
Morocco expanded the vaccination campaign to teenagers aged 12 and above in late August, in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Since then, over 15% of Moroccan teenagers have received their first dose.
Overall, Morocco’s vaccination campaign has proven to be a success. Following an alarming third wave of infections this summer, the government’s vaccination efforts are paying off.
Despite the spike of positive COVID-19 cases in August, the recovery rate remains stable, and hospital capacity did not exceed 50%.
