Flu Vaccine Shortage Hits Casablanca Pharmacies Amid COVID-19 Resurgence

The first days of the flu vaccination campaign will be trying for the people of Casablanca. Indeed, the pharmacists of Casablanca have received a very small quantity of vaccines.

"We only got one... It’s ridiculous!" exclaims one of them to his colleagues. "I just received five units and five vaccination cards but no identifier," says another. "I only got one, without any indication, no identifier or password," adds a third pharmacist, reports h24info.ma. However, according to a circular dated November 1 from the Ministry of Health (No. 563/DMP00), "stock movements of the vaccine must be recorded," in particular by retail pharmacies, on a dedicated platform, using an identifier and password normally provided by the wholesaler, the same source indicates.

Out of the 650,000 doses of flu vaccine ordered by the kingdom, it was planned that 350,000 doses would be for retail pharmacies for the general public. However, Morocco has only received 200,000 doses so far, which is disrupting the forecasts. According to the new distribution, 100,000 are retained for clinics and public facilities, and 100,000 for retail pharmacies. The 100,000 missing doses from this first delivery (out of a total of 300,000 doses) should arrive in the coming days. With an approximate number of 12,000 pharmacies spread across the national territory, this amounts to about eight doses allocated to each pharmacy.

"The requested quantity is not enough for all pharmacists. The wholesalers themselves have not received enough. Today, the majority of Casablanca pharmacists have received five but it will increase later," explains Abdelali Bensalah, president of the Pharmaceutical Union of the Hay Moulay Rachid district. Refuting the hypothesis of favoritism by wholesalers towards certain pharmacists, the union leader indicates that "The distribution of doses depends on the quantity received by the wholesalers. Some receive 6,000, others 3,000... There are pharmacies that work with four or five wholesalers so they naturally receive more."

Furthermore, Mr. Rachid emphasizes the novelty of this year’s flu vaccine, a quadrivalent version with four strains of flu viruses instead of two in previous years. In this regard, he stresses, "the ministry wants to go slowly and not vaccinate too many people at once" because, "we don’t know how people will react to this vaccine. This is also why they have imposed the prescription, to maintain traceability," details Abdelali Bensalah, adding that "with the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for the flu vaccine has increased sharply." For its part, after launching the national flu prevention campaign on Monday, the Ministry of Health specified that this campaign targets people at risk of serious complications, even death, related to the flu, in particular pregnant women and people with chronic diseases.