Health Officials Balk at Minister’s Call for COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Participation

Participation in the clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine divides Minister Khalid Aït Taleb and the health executives, doctors, nurses and administrative staff. Even if the clinical trials are not mandatory, some believe that the ministry has still not included Covid-19 on the list of occupational diseases in order to allow healthcare personnel to be entitled to compensation. The other reason that explains the refusal of some executives is the fear of side effects that these clinical trials could generate, reports Assabah.

In the messages posted on social networks, the executives also blame their supervising minister for having trivialized the sacrifices they made during the critical period of the pandemic. They denounce the deductions from their salary, the suspension of annual leave and the delay in their allowances.

For its part, the Ministry of Health has launched awareness campaigns to have as many volunteers as possible. It insists that these clinical trials are not degrading and that volunteers will be able to have all the relevant information. It finally indicated that this is an initiative that will allow Moroccans to have access to the vaccine against the coronavirus and at the same time, limit the spread of the virus, specifies the same source.