Even though Moroccan officials have still not confirmed which company or companies will be supplying the country with COVID-19 vaccines, rumors have it that Morocco is preparing to order COVID-19 vaccines from China within the next month.
According to Morocco World News, Moroccan outlet Hespress, citing informed sources, reported that the North African country will schedule 10 flights throughout December to bring 10 million doses of the vaccine from China. Hespress’ sources said five million people will receive COVID-19 vaccines during the first stage of the campaign because the doses from the Chinese company will arrive in Morocco gradually.
Social media posts and users on messaging platforms had spread a message that read “Morocco will buy an anti-Covid-19 vaccine at the price of 27 DH per dose.”
The Moroccan government announced on November 9 that it will soon start a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 without specifying which vaccine it intends to use.
Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb is reported by Morocco World News to have revealed that Morocco will soon launch an awareness campaign to ease concerns and debunk fake news about the vaccination initiative. He added that thanks to the King, Moroccans will be among the first in the world to receive vaccines against the novel coronavirus.
Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani also assured the public that Morocco chose a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for the upcoming vaccination campaign, under the guidance of King Mohammed VI.
Morocco signed several memoranda of understanding concerning COVID-19 vaccines in August and September and has agreements regarding COVID-19 vaccines with Chinese, Russian, and British-Swedish laboratories.
Early this year, China’s Xi Jinping promised to make African countries a priority in the eventual distribution of an effective Chinese COVID-19 vaccine.
Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the same commitment to some African leaders when he said “China will honor its commitment of making COVID-19 vaccines global public goods, and will actively consider providing vaccines to African countries in need after the vaccine is developed and put into use, in order to help African countries overcome the infectious disease at an early date.”
What will be the impact of an easily accessible Chinese COVID-19 vaccine to African countries on Africa-China relations?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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Africans on China (AoC) is a media-tech platform and consultancy on a mission to create a self-sufficient Africa that relates with the world, especially China, on mutually beneficial terms. We are led by a team of passionate African professionals who are experts in their field. Together, we bring decades of strategic and business expertise in the African and Chinese business and educational markets.
