RABAT, FEB 13 – Morocco began vaccinating people older than 65 years against the novel coronavirus, according to an official statement.

The move came a day after the North African country received a second batch of 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

According to the Health Ministry’s latest data, Morocco has vaccinated over 800,000 people since the start of its vaccination campaign.

All members of the public will be vaccinated as soon as possible, the ministry said in the statement.

On Jan. 28, Morocco began a mass nationwide vaccination drive, starting with top officials to encourage public confidence in the vaccines.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI was the first Moroccan to receive a coronavirus jab.

The country had previously received 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine and 6 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab.

It has reported a total of 8,450 coronavirus-related fatalities and 477,656 infections, while some 457,956 people have recovered from the disease so far.