Plane carrying 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine lands in Morocco

A Royal Air Maroc plane carrying 2 million doses of the Covishield vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute of India, landed, Friday afternoon, at the Mohammed V International Airport after it was shipped earlier that day from India.

جمعة مباركة
لقاح كوفيشيلد (من المعهد الهندي أسترازينيكا - أكسفورد - سيروم ) يصل إلى المغرب الآن.
ليكن الجميع سعداء. ليكن الجميع في صحة جيدة. #AffordableVaccine4All#vaccinematri#meaindia@MarocDiplomatie @Ministere_Sante pic.twitter.com/vs67u2CWlT

— India in Morocco (@indembrabat) January 22, 2021

Flight AT3085 left Mumbai at 8:07 IST (Indian Standard Time) on Friday, with the first consignment of the made-in-India vaccine lots.

The delivery was announced, Thursday, after the Indian government revealed that it would begin the commercial vaccine exports with shipment to Morocco and Brazil. The latter will also receive 2 million doses of the same vaccine on the same day.

In a manifestation of excellent relationship between India and Morocco, the first consignment of COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine producer was shipped from India for Morocco today pic.twitter.com/FOLhvsYs53

— India in Morocco (@indembrabat) January 22, 2021

«Morocco and Brazil are among the first countries to which the first commercial export of the COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by the government of India», the Indian Embassy in Rabat wrote in a press release sent Friday to Yabiladi.

«This decision is a manifestation of the excellent relations between India and Morocco. Previously, the Government of India had authorized the export of 6 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to the Kingdom of Morocco», the same source added.

South Africa and Saudi Arabia will be supplied shortly after Morocco and Brazil, the same source added.

Morocco is also expected to receive vaccine shots from China's Sinopharm to launch its long-awaited nationwide vaccination campaign.