Morocco Nears Final Phase in Covid-19 Vaccine Trials, Eyes Local Production

These works are carried out under the control of three commissions, namely, international experts, the Ministry of Health and the Sinopharm laboratory. The daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia indicates that from next week, samples taken from volunteers in Morocco will be sent to the Sinopharm laboratories in China, where they will be exposed to the coronavirus. Morocco intends to derive from this collaboration a sufficient quantity of the precious product that will allow the country to embark on the mass production of this vaccine for export to Africa.

The clinical trial process begins with the signing of a document attesting to the volunteer’s consent to undergo a series of medical tests, namely, the injection of two doses of the vaccine intradermally in the arm, followed by the administration of a booster dose. The volunteer is then placed under 30 minutes of surveillance to detect any side effects, the same source recalls, adding that the volunteer continues to be monitored for at least one year, even if the clinical trials are conclusive.

This provision comes in anticipation of side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergies and others..., effects that generally disappear without treatment. The very rare cases of acute side effects must be managed by doctors.

This study is based on the degree of reactivity of the body to the vaccine, without losing sight of the fact that immune responses vary from one person to another.