The King of Morocco pardoned 5,645 prisoners in preventive measures against Covid-19 virus. Since the outbreak of the virus, Morocco was one the first countries to implement stricter measures to fight the spread of Covid-19

Berlin, Germany,, April 6, 2020 - In a statement by the Moroccan justice ministry, the King of Morocco pardoned, on Sunday, 5,645 prisoners in preventive measures against Covid-19 virus. The King called for "taking all necessary measures to protect inmates in adult prisons as well as correctional institutions housing minor prisoners under 18 years old from the spread of coronavirus." The prisoners who benefited from the Royal pardon were selected on the basis of strictly objective criteria taking into account their age, their precarious state of health and the length of their detention, as well as good conduct, good behavior and discipline they have shown throughout their incarceration.

The justice ministry statement added that "Due to the exceptional circumstances associated with the actual situation, the process of the release will be implemented in a gradual manner". In this context and in accordance with the Royal instructions, the beneficiaries will be subject to surveillance, medical tests, as well as the necessary quarantine period in their homes. The statement concludes that all necessary measures will be taken in order to ensure the safety of the released prisoners and that of the people they will be in contact with.

Since the outbreak of the virus, Morocco was one the first countries to implement stricter measures to fight the spread of Covid-19 by shutting down its airspace and by imposing a curfew. Moroccan authorities invested a $1 billion fund to upgrade health facilities and help the country's economic sectors in the wake of the Covid-19 virus outbreak. The fund helped acquire the necessary health equipment and assisted sectors such as tourism and maintained jobs and mitigated the pandemic’s social repercussions.

Last Saturday, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said that the total number of COVID-19 infections rose to 919 with 59 deaths and 66 recovered cases. Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 182 countries and regions. Data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surpassing 1.2 million with over 69,527 deaths and 264,048 recovered people. To know more about the outbreak of coronavirus in Morocco, please visit www.covidmaroc.ma.


About Friends of Morocco
Friends of Morocco is a nonprofit organization with branches around the world. The main objective is to promote Morocco and to build bridges and connect people who have fallen in Love with this country, adopted its culture and made it their 2nd home.

 

With great pleasure we announce the 32nd International Conference on Psychiatry and Mental Health scheduled from June 22-23, 2020 Brisbane, Australia. For more details:  https://psychiatrymentalhealth.conferenceseries.com/

Psychiatry and Mental Health 2020 is a 2-day event offering the Exhibition, at venue to showcase the new and emerging technologies and have wider sessions involving Keynote presentation, Oral, YRF (student presentation), poster, e-poster presentations. World-renowned speakers and eminent delegates across the globe attending the conference, to share their valuable presentation on the most recent and advanced techniques, developments, and the newest updates are the prominent features of the conference.

Five COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates in Preclinical Testing. Development Services to Enable Manufacture of cGMP Vaccine at Emergent BioSolutions have Started

South San Francisco, California, USA., April 2, 2020 - Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, today announced it had produced five COVID-19 vaccine candidates for testing in its preclinical models.  Each of the COVID-19 vaccine constructs is based on a different coronavirus antigen combination, and Vaxart expects to advance the best performing vaccine to manufacturing for clinical trials.

Our scientists have been working tirelessly to develop these 5 different vaccine constructs, and this evaluation in our preclinical models will allow us to select the most potent candidate for clinical testing.“The effectiveness of Vaxart’s oral vaccine technology has been demonstrated in clinical trials.  Developing a vaccine to meet this current public health threat is very important to all of us at Vaxart,” said Sean Tucker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Vaxart. 

In January, Vaxart initiated a program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine based on its VAAST^TM platform.  On March 18, Vaxart announced that it had entered into an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (“Emergent”) for development services in preparation for the cGMP production of the Vaxart vaccine.  Development services have started and, if Vaxart elects to proceed with cGMP manufacturing, Emergent is expected to produce bulk cGMP vaccine for use in a Phase 1 clinical study that Vaxart currently expects to initiate early in the second half of 2020. 
 

“We believe an oral vaccine administered using a room temperature-stable tablet would provide enormous logistical advantages in large vaccination campaigns,” said Wouter Latour, MD, chief executive officer of Vaxart Inc.  “Perhaps more importantly, we recently demonstrated that our oral H1 influenza vaccine protects against respiratory infection based on mucosal immunity, the first line of defense for mucosal viruses like influenza and this new coronavirus.  We believe this puts Vaxart in a unique position to develop an effective vaccine that protects the population from COVID-19.”
 

About Coronavirus

CDC is responding to a pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The disease has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). This situation poses a serious public health risk. The federal government is working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this situation. COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness; most severe illness occurs in older adults.
 

About Vaxart

Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company primarily focused on developing oral recombinant protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform. Vaxart’s vaccines are designed to generate broad and durable immune responses that protect against a wide range of infectious diseases and may also be useful for the treatment of chronic viral infections and cancer. Vaxart’s vaccines are administered using a convenient room temperature-stable tablet, rather than by injection. Vaxart believes that tablet vaccines are easier to distribute and administer than injectable vaccines and have the potential to significantly increase vaccination rates. Vaxart’s development programs include oral tablet vaccines that are designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). For more information, please visit www.vaxart.com.

The King of Morocco ordered the creation of a $1 billion fund to upgrade health infrastructure and help vulnerable economic sectors to counter coronavirus spread.

Berlin Germany, March 24th 2020 -In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Morocco, King Mohammed VI ordered the creation of a $1 billion fund to upgrade health infrastructure and help vulnerable economic sectors. The fund will also help acquire the necessary health equipment and assist sectors such as tourism as well as help maintain jobs and mitigate the pandemic’s social repercussions.

The pandemic is expected to hit the Moroccan economy hard, with the pivotal tourism sector, which last year attracted 13 million visitors. In addition to the fund, the King also ordered that field hospitals be set up across the country to assist health services. As soon as the first coronavirus cases were confirmed, Morocco suspended all international passenger flights, closed schools and canceled all events.

As of March 23rd, Morocco reported new confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing the total number to 134 cases, the recovery of three patients and the death of four. Most initial cases were found in Moroccans resident in Spain, Italy and France who had returned home for visits. Moroccan authorities have been urging citizens to observe rules of hygiene, implement the precautionary measures issued by the Moroccan health authorities, act with responsibility and show patriotism. Authorities have also been disinfecting public transportation and deployed loudspeakers on cars, asking people to stay home, especially those with pre-existing health problems and the elderly. Morocco has been hailed for ensuring the necessary consumer products for citizens on a daily basis.

The House of Representatives unanimously voted for draft decree Law 2.20.292 on Monday, March 23, to penalize anyone who violates the state of emergency protocol. The state of emergency entered into effect on March 20. To know more about the outbreak of coronavirus in Morocco, please visit www.covidmaroc.ma. About Friends of Morocco Friends of Morocco is a non profit organization with branches around the world. The main objective is to promote Morocco and to build bridges and connect people who have fallen in Love with this country, adopted its culture and made it their 2nd home.​​​​​​​

Press Contact: Elle P. Wolfgang Berlin, Germany 015213454385