Rabat – Saaid Amzazi, the Minister of National Education, and Khalid Ait Taleb, the Minister of Health chaired the official launch of the vaccination campaign at Dar Essalam high school in Rabat on August 31.
The campaign targets more than 3 million students, private and public school trainees, foreign schools, and vocational training institutions.
The Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the Ministry of Health supervise the campaign and considers the inoculation of 12-17 year olds an important step to accelerate the achievement of herd immunity.
The committee affirms that it is “free and optional” and will be carried out with the agreement of the parents and guardians of the students by signing a document to undergo the inoculation.
“Necessary equipment and preparations for the vaccination campaign for students between 12 and 17 years old have been completed. Schools that will host the vaccination centers are arranged and ready to welcome people,” announces Aziz Nahya, the representative of the Ministry of National Education, in a morning radio show of a Moroccan radio station.
The Scientific Committee in charge of the National Immunization Campaign approved the use of Sinopharm and Pfizer for the campaign held under the motto: “Vaccinate my children, protect them, and allow them to continue their education in safe conditions.”
According to the official, the vaccination centers will cover the entire country and there will be mobile units to administer vaccines to children who are unable to travel to the vaccination centers. “It is not necessary to make an appointment to be vaccinated,” Nahya said, adding that students can be vaccinated wherever they are.
Regions are officially starting the vaccination operation in 420 vaccination centers scattered throughout the country with 76 centers in Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, 57 in Casablanca-Settat, 43 in Marrakech-Safi, in addition to mobile units dispatched in rural areas.
“The close coordination between local authorities and health services made it possible to provide the necessary logistical means, including electronic tablets for recording, reception structures likely to guarantee the success of this large-scale operation,” said the director of the Regional Academy of Education and Training Marrakech-Safi, Ahmed Karimi in a statement to a Moroccan news agency.
The anti-Covid-19 operation in the region of Guelmim-Oued aims to vaccinate 25,000 children while the Fez-Meknes region aims to vaccinate 357,056 children.
The Ministry of National Education had previously postponed the start of the school year from September 3 to September 10 “to guarantee safe conditions” for students. Meanwhile, Morocco has recorded eight COVID deaths among children and 117 critical cases during the month of August.
