Moroccan Health Minister Reveals Over 54,000 AstraZeneca Vaccine Side Effects

In an official statement on Monday, Moroccan Minister of Health and Social Protection Khalid Ait Taleb revealed that 54,423 Moroccans have experienced side effects linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This disclosure followed a parliamentary inquiry by Naima Elfathaoui of the Justice and Development Party, who sought clarity on vaccine-related injuries and fatalities.

Ait Taleb noted that out of the 8,866,853 doses of AstraZeneca administered during Morocco's vaccination campaign, 13,542 recipients reported various side effects. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified 211 of these cases as serious, though no deaths have been attributed to vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia syndrome globally.

The minister underscored that side effects are a normal part of the vaccination process, signifying the body's immune response as it builds immunity without exposing individuals to the disease itself. He explained that these reactions result from differences in immune system responses, increased blood flow to facilitate immune cell circulation, and elevated body temperature to combat the virus.

This announcement coincides with AstraZeneca's recent decision to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine from the global market. The company cited a decline in demand due to newer vaccines designed to address emerging variants of the virus. Additionally, AstraZeneca has acknowledged in court documents that its vaccine may cause a rare but serious side effect known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), which involves blood clots.

Critics have pointed out that AstraZeneca took a year to formally recognize the potential side effects of its vaccine, despite widespread acceptance within the clinical community.

In response to these concerns, Morocco's Ministry of Health has established a robust patient monitoring system and offers free healthcare to individuals experiencing severe side effects that necessitate extensive examinations and treatment. The National Anti-Poison and Pharmacovigilance Center (CAP) has been systematically collecting data on post-vaccination side effects since the national vaccination campaign began in January 2021.

In a related legal development, a Moroccan court recently ruled that the government must compensate a university professor who suffered health complications after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. The court ordered the government to pay the woman MAD 250,000 ($24,964) in damages, a decision currently under appeal by the Ministry of Health.

This comprehensive approach underscores Morocco's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens amid the ongoing global health crisis.