In the light of very alarming epidemiological indicators, the risk of an epidemiological relapse hangs over Morocco, warns Dr Meziane Bellefquih.
According to the latest bimonthly report from the Ministry of Health, the epidemiological situation in Morocco has become alarming again, requiring a return to restrictions. With the easing of restrictions linked to the pandemic in this summer season punctuated by the return of Moroccans from around the world, the number of cases of contamination has increased. It goes without saying, and without any exaggeration, that Morocco knows ” epidemiological peak “, in particular in the light of the Delta (Indian) variant which circulates in force.
This peak of Covid-19 contamination was observed in all regions of the kingdom without exception, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday, July 20 in its bimonthly report on the epidemiological situation, presented by the head of the Division of communicable diseases, Abdelkrim Meziane Bellefquih.
The Kingdom thus begins a new stage of spread of the virus, confirmed the official at the Ministry of Health, reporting a ” notable increase »91% of positive cases during the period from 06 to 19 July. Thus, the positivity rate went from 4.56% to 10.7%. This upward trend mainly concerned the Casablanca-Settat region (21.3%), against 2.6% in Fez-Meknes, the lowest rate.
Morocco second in Africa
Today, Morocco’s epidemiological indicators place it 42nd in the world and second in Africa. The country has so far recorded 562,416 positive cases since the start of the pandemic, with an incidence rate of nearly 1,535 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a total of 9,486 deaths due to Covid-19 which places Morocco below the global average established at 2.2%, and 18,116 active cases under treatment against 5,535 two weeks earlier (+ 175%) said the official.
As for the reproduction rates of the Covid-19 (Ro), it worsened to 1.45 at the national level during the last two weeks, warned Dr. Bellefquih, noting that it ” is far from the objective which is 0.7 set as part of the national plan for monitoring and combating Covid-19 ”. The manager also looked at the worrying increase in critical cases over the past two weeks from 236 to 413 Monday, July 19, an increase of 75%.
Regarding deaths, which have also increased in the past two weeks, Dr Meziane Bellefquih recalled that Morocco recorded 81 deaths last week, the highest death toll for 5 months, with a case fatality rate. 1.7%, he said.
The risk of an epidemiological relapse
The cure rate, for its part, is around 97.3% for a total of cures since the start of the pandemic in the Kingdom which stands this Tuesday, July 20 at 534,814 with a cure rate of 95.09%.
For the virus screening operation, the Ministry of Health recorded in its bimonthly report a significant increase, from 105,000 tests per week to 140,000 tests carried out last week, or nearly 20,000 tests per day. Thus, Morocco has carried out, until Tuesday, 6,100,868 tests placing it in second place at the continental level.
To conclude, Dr Meziane Bellefquih announced a remarkable change in terms of indicators, which foreshadows the sensitivity of the next step. ” Either we will pull ourselves together with firmness and responsibility and bring the curve back to a positive trajectory, or we will resign ourselves to an epidemiological relapse with which all the gains risk being wiped out ” he warned.
In this sense, the Ministry of Health urges citizens to show a high sense of responsibility and citizen vigilance to move forward in the preservation of achievements and avoid any resurgence of the pandemic.
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