RABAT: Morocco received 2 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, becoming the first African country to get a large enough shipment to start rolling out a nationwide free immunization program.
The consignment arrived on a Royal Air Maroc flight from India, which began exporting the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University, to mid- and lower-income countries this week.
The vast majority of the production of the three most widely approved COVID vaccines, including the AstraZeneca drug, has so far been hoovered up by developed nations.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has described the unequal access poor countries had to COVID-19 vaccines as a “catastrophic moral failure.”
Morocco’s free vaccination campain will start next week targeting at an initial stage health workers, public authorities, teachers and the elderly, in areas with higher infections, the health ministry said in a statement.
Some 3,000 vaccine locations have been prepared as well as mobile units to deliver doses in hard-to-reach areas.
Rabat has placed orders for 66 million doses, comprising 25 million of the AstraZeneca vaccine — for which it has deals with both Serum Institute of India (SII) and Russia’s R-Pharm — and the remainder with China’s Sinopharm.
Morocco expects to receive its first vaccine batch from China’s Sinopharm on Jan 27, the health ministry said without offering further details,
By Friday, Morocco had reported 464,844 coronavirus infections, including 8,105 deaths.
Although Egypt received 50,000 vaccine doses in December from its close ally the United Arab Emirates, no African country had up to now received enough supply to start mass inoculations.
India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, began exporting the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to neighboring Asian countries on Wednesday. The SII also planned to ship doses to Brazil on Friday, Reuters reported.
The AstraZeneca vaccine requires two doses, but unlike some other vaccines it does not need ultra-cold storage, making it easier to roll out in hot countries and remote locations.
Morocco gets 2m AstraZeneca vaccine doses, first big shipment to Africa
https://arab.news/2mzc5
Morocco gets 2m AstraZeneca vaccine doses, first big shipment to Africa
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
