Rabat, Jan 28 (IANS): Morocco received on Wednesday its first shipment of Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines, the ministry of health said.

The first batch of vaccines developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd (Sinopharm) arrived at Casablanca airport and will be dispatched to the vaccination locations throughout the country, the ministry said in a statement.

The North African country will launch in the coming days a mass vaccination campaign, as it has secured acquisition of 66 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from China's Sinopharm and Britain's Oxford University/AstraZeneca, health officials said.

A total of 3,000 locations around the country are prepared to host this campaign, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Morocco on Friday approved the emergency use of Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.

"The vaccine meets all the conditions of quality, efficacy and safety, and does not present any potential side effects," the health ministry said.