Morocco Starts Vaccinating Schools Students

A patient is seen in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sale, Morocco April 23, 2020. Picture taken April 23, 2020. (Reuters)
A patient is seen in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sale, Morocco April 23, 2020. Picture taken April 23, 2020. (Reuters)
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Morocco Starts Vaccinating Schools Students

A patient is seen in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sale, Morocco April 23, 2020. Picture taken April 23, 2020. (Reuters)
A patient is seen in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sale, Morocco April 23, 2020. Picture taken April 23, 2020. (Reuters)

Morocco will launch on Tuesday a coronavirus vaccination campaign targeting school students between the ages of 12 and 17.

A source from the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training stated that around 44 million students will be included in the campaign in preparation for the new academic year that started on Sept. 10.

Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani urged parents to encourage their children to get the vaccine that will guarantee a safe return to schools.

In a video posted on social media, Othmani noted that delta variant is widely spreading among children.

He further added that the number of children who have been admitted to hospital has increased. In August only, 117 children were receiving treatment after contracting the delta variant.

The death rate among children has also increased, with 19 virus-related fatalities recorded, including eight in August alone.

Addressing concerns over the safety of the vaccines, Othmani said countries around the world were giving the shots to children.

However, the vaccine can only be administered to children only with their parents’ approval. Shots will not be mandatory, he stressed.

The Department of National Education said the Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines will be used given their effectiveness in this age category.

A total of 18.266 million people have so far received their first dose of the vaccine, while 14.364 million have been fully vaccinated.



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.