Morocco has expanded COVID-19 vaccinations to all citizens aged between 55 and 60, the Health Ministry announced on Monday.
The inoculation drive was launched in late January and prioritized medical staff, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
In order to reach the aspired herd immunity in the kingdom, the health ministry urged targeted citizens to sign up to receive the vaccine by registering through the dedicated website or sending an SMS to 1717.
It stressed the importance of respecting preventive measures before, during and after being vaccinated to contribute to the authorities’ efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said on Sunday that the vaccination pace in recent weeks has been slow.
He attributed this to the “competition” over the provision of vaccines, which affects the supply. However, he expressed hope to receive new batches of COVID-19 doses soon.
Commenting on the measures taken by the authorities during Ramadan, Othmani said they have proven efficient as demonstrated in the decline in the numbers of coronavirus cases during the first 10 days of the holy fasting month.
Authorities have implemented a nationwide night curfew from 8 pm to 6 am, starting from the first day of Ramadan.
According to the latest Health Ministry briefing on the pandemic, 4,723,635 people have taken the first dose of the vaccine so far, while 4,217,485 citizens have taken both shots.
Morocco recorded 326 new coronavirus cases and four deaths, taking the toll to 8,992 since the beginning of the pandemic.
