Speaking at the opening of the meeting of the Council of Government, El Otmani recalled the working session chaired by HM King Mohammed VI last Monday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, which was dedicated to the vaccination strategy against Covid-19, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, government spokesman Saaid Amzazi said at a press briefing held at the end of the Council's meeting.

This working session is part of the ongoing monitoring by His Majesty the King of Morocco's efforts in the fight against covid-19 and which aim at preserving the health of citizens, he added.

El Otmani stressed that as part of the proactive royal approach adopted since the appearance of this virus, HM the King gave His High Guidelines for the launch of a massive vaccination operation against Covid-19.

"Morocco's choice of vaccine is based on safety and efficiency -- which are two fundamental criteria -- given the fact that clinical studies have so far proven that the vaccine meets both these conditions," he added.

In this regard, El Otmani said that there is coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), which has selected several vaccines through its COVAX program to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide.

"Morocco's choice of vaccine is well founded and is not fortuitous," he explained, praising the efforts of the National Scientific Commission in charge of monitoring all the clinical studies in which Morocco is participating.

El Otmani also called for vigilance against fake news, urging citizens to trust the official bodies that provide certified information and broadcast it through official media channels.

A campaign will be launched to explain certain aspects related to vaccination so that citizens can know the basics, the directions and the modus operandi, with the aim of ensuring support for this operation as well as "collective trust" regarding the safety and efficiency of Morocco's choice, he said.

On the epidemiological situation in Morocco, El Otmani called it "worrisome" in light of the daily increase in the number of severe cases and deaths.

He warned that "having the vaccine should not lead to complacency and carelessness as we must all respect the preventive measures taken by health and security authorities."

El Otmani deplored the 4,500 coronavirus-related deaths, describing it a "heavy toll especially since we lose between 70 and 80 of our citizens every day and hundreds others are in intensive care."

Head of government also expressed his thanks to the entire medical corps who are putting forth sustained efforts to assist and care for those infected.