Morocco to buy 65 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Rabat - Morocco has secured acquisition of 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from two suppliers, Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb announced on Thursday during the weekly cabinet meeting.  The North African country is aiming for a mass vaccination of 25 million people or 80 percent of its total population.  The two vaccines secured by Morocco are developed by China's Sinopharm and Britain's Oxford University and AstraZeneca, the minister said. 

Preparations for the vaccination campaign have reached a "very advanced" stage, Ait Taleb said, adding that all the targeted population will get the vaccine for free.  Morocco imposed on Wednesday night a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. until Jan. 13 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The North African country announced 2,650 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total tally in the country to 425,864.