Rabat, Jul 30 (IANS): Morocco registered 8,995 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 606,871 as of Thursday evening.

The total number of recoveries from Covid-19 in Morocco increased to 552,983 after 2,101 new ones were added, the ministry of health said in a statement.

The death toll rose to 9,697 with 32 new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 855 people are in intensive care units, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a total of 13,388,726 people have received their first vaccine shots against Covid-19 in the country, with 10,094,160 having received two doses.

The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on January 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The vaccination drive has been expanded as of Monday to include people aged 25 and older.

In order to speed up the pace of the vaccination campaign, citizens can now go to the nearest vaccination centre, without taking into account the conditions related to residency, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.