Morocco Reportedly Halts First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Amid Supply Concerns

The national vaccination campaign against Covid-19, launched by Morocco, is running out of steam. Contacted by Hespress, Dr. Chafika Ghazoui, communication manager in the Fès-Meknès region, at the Ministry of Health, stated that "as part of the national vaccination campaign against Covid 19, the target groups are still receiving the first and second doses on the specified dates and in accordance with the ministry’s strategy, in full coordination with all stakeholders".

But another source within the same ministry, speaking anonymously, said that "the administration of the first dose of the vaccine has not been done for more than a week at the Rabat level. We only administer the second doses for those who have received the first one. However, some centers are still administering the first dose, but at a slow pace, that is, 7 to 10 beneficiaries per day," specifies the same source.

One thing is certain, Morocco, which is conducting a campaign praised around the world, has started to exhaust its first stock of the Covid-19 vaccine, which was 8.5 million doses (6 million doses of Sinopharm and 2.5 million of AstraZeneca). It is the safety doses of the Swedish-British vaccine AstraZeneca that have allowed Morocco to continue the vaccination, even if it is at a slower pace.

It is also to avoid being out of stock that Morocco has very early diversified its supply sources. It has ordered 1 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Unlike the other vaccines, this one is used in a single dose and will be delivered to Morocco this spring according to the Ministry of Health. But until today, still no news of the Russian vaccine.