Morocco moves to vaccinate prison inmates 45 and up

SALE, Morocco (AP) — About 300 inmates in a prison near the Moroccan capital have been vaccinated against COVID-19, among the latest prisoners to benefit from a vaccination campaign that authorities say reflects a commitment to protect a population considered especially vulnerable.

Inmates age 45 and older lined up Wednesday for AstraZeneca vaccine shots at Al Arjat 1 prison in Sale, where both men and women are incarcerated.

“From the start of the pandemic we weren't afraid, but thanks to this vaccination we will be protected,” an inmate named Habiba said after her jab. Like other inmates, she identified herself only by her first name.

As of Thursday, about 4,400 of the approximately 11,500 inmates eligible had been vaccinated since a national campaign was launched at the beginning of the year, according to prison authorities. The entire prison administration staff also has been inoculated.

According to the General Delegation for Prison Administration, known as the DGAPR, 11 inmates have died from COVID-19 in Morocco and 626 others were infected. An outbreak n cases last year prompted authorities to start a prison prevention program, and vaccinating workers and inmates is a key part of it.

Morocco has about 85,000 inmates in 77 prisons, and their chronic overcrowding became a critical issue during the coronavirus pandemic since the virus spreads more easily in confined spaces with poor ventilation where maintaining physical distance is not possible.

“Our efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the prisons started from the first case in April 2020,” said Taoufiq Abtal, the head of the health division of the North African nation's prison administration. “Since that date, (we) took a series of preventive measures to fight the pandemic’s spread.”

King Mohammed VI...