Vaccine Trials Soon to Start in Morocco

Clinical trials of the Coronavirus in Morocco are expected to begin in late September, according to several media sources.

While some newspapers reported that a sample of 5,000 volunteers has been selected, others reported a sample of 600 volunteers are ready to begin the trials. The volunteers will be placed in public university health centers and will remain under surveillance for 40 days.

Several social networks have speculated that the volunteers will be compensated with amounts ranging from 500 to 1500 MAD. However, the law governing such trials prohibits the companies producing the vaccines or the volunteers from receiving compensation. These trials must be done without rewards, for purely humanitarian purposes.

The criteria for selecting volunteers are: that they are not minors, that they do not suffer from chronic diseases, that they are not prisoners or psychologically unstable. Pregnant or breastfeeding women are also prohibited from volunteering.

Clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine will be conducted in public university hospitals, including the military hospital, the Ibn Sina hospital in Rabat, and the Ibn Rochd health center in Casablanca, on a sample of volunteers, according to several media platforms.

Morocco concluded last week, through video surveillance technology, two cooperation agreements with the Chinese laboratory “Sinopharm” to include the country in clinical trials of the Coronavirus vaccine. The agreements were signed in the presence of Othman Benjelloun, President and CEO of BMCE Bank, Lamiae Tazi, CEO of Sothema, Juan Mao the chargé d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Rabat, Khalid Ait Taleb, the Minister of Health and Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, as well as other officials of the Chinese laboratory.

So far, China has announced the discovery of a Coronavirus vaccine a few weeks after Russia’s announcement. The eyes of the world are still focused on the U.S. and British vaccines, as well as some European laboratories that have not yet reached the third round of testing.