Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Morocco Inches to Achieve Collective Immunity after Vaccinating 50% of Population 


Fri 08 Oct 2021 | 10:32 PM
Ahmed Moamar

Jamal Al-Din Al-Bouzidi, a Moroccan specialist in chest and respiratory diseases, said that  Morocco inches toward achieving collective immunity, according to recent research.

He affirmed that collective immunity begins to emerge as soon as 50 percent of the citizens are vaccinated against the Coronavirus (known also as COVID-19).

It is expected that the Ministry of Health in Morocco will vaccinate 33 million people, after acquiring 66 million doses, which is a sufficient rate to achieve group immunity, according to the statements of experts.

Al-Bouzidi stressed that Morocco is close to herd immunity, but all things are linked to the absence of a new mutation of the deadly virus that may confuse the national health system.

He noted that "the Delta mutation, for example, has greatly reduced the effectiveness of vaccines, and according to forward-looking studies now, collective immunity is linked to vaccination of more than 80 percent from the Moroccans.

He  refused to continue to question the vaccines and the third dose, saying that there are many vaccines that are taken intermittently, and many of them are renewed every year or every 5 years or more, and therefore where is the problem in receiving a new dose?"

In early October, the Moroccan Ministry of Health announced the start of vaccination with the third dose of the emerging coronavirus vaccine, "in accordance with the recommendations of the National Scientific Committee and international scientific recommendations".

The Moroccan  ministry said in a statement that "the national campaign for vaccination has known from its inception a positive dynamic and a wide response by citizens."

It pointed out that citizens will be informed of the procedures and methods for benefiting from this third dose, as well as the target groups.

The statement's of the ministry  added that  given the importance of strengthening the immunity of all Moroccans and foreigners residing in the country, and in order to protect themselves and their families from Covid-19 infection, they are invited to participate in this process."

The Ministry called on everyone to adhere to the directives of the public health authorities and to continue to go strictly with preventive measures before, during, and after the vaccination process.