06- 08 Mars, 2021
New COVID-19 variant: Morocco suspends flights with 6 other countries
Morocco has suspended flights to and from Poland, Norway, Finland, Greece, Lebanon, and Kuwait from Monday 08/03/2021 at midnight until 21/03/2021, the Moroccan Office of Airports (ONDA) announced in a publication on its facebook page.
“Suspension by the Moroccan authorities of flights to and from Poland, Norway, Finland, Greece, Lebanon, and Kuwait from Monday 08/03/2021 at midnight until 21/03/2021,” the post reads. “Passengers travelling from these countries through another country are also affected,” says the ONDA.
These countries are thus added to the list of 20 countries with which Morocco has suspended its air links due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the appearance of new variants of the virus.
The list includes: Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Algeria, Egypt, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Brazil.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
Morocco adopts Russian Sputnik V and US Johnson-Johnson vaccines
The National Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee on Immunisation has validated the adoption of the Russian Sputnik V and American Johnson-Johnson vaccines, both single-dose, as part of the national vaccination campaign against the coronavirus.
According to Dr Said Afif, President of the National Federation of Health (FNS), the choice was made on these two vaccines taking into account the criteria of authorization and conservation.
The conditions of storage and conservation of the two vaccines are ordinary and easy, he added, noting however that if the Kingdom manages to come into possession of its previous orders, it will not be obliged to authorise new vaccines.
This decision to “go elsewhere”, he said, is part of proactive measures to ensure the success of the national vaccination campaign.
The Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, has been adopted in more than 25 countries around the world.
In this regard, the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Rabat, Valerian Shuvaev, had specified in a former statement to Hespress, that his country is willing to provide the Kingdom with vaccines, and that the matter is in the hands of Moroccan officials who are currently examining it.
As a reminder, long treated with suspicion by Western countries, the Sputnik V vaccine was recognised as 91.6% effective by the reference journal The Lancet, beating out some vaccines for its performance and ease of storage.
Experts had touted its merits, in that Sputnik V is, like AstraZeneca, the easiest vaccine to transport and store. Simple household refrigerators are sufficient to store it at 2°C to 8°C, whereas other vaccines require long-term storage at very low temperatures.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.