New Moroccan COVID-19 Variant Detected in Ouarzazate, Health Officials Remain Vigilant

The research work of the Covid-19 Scientific Committee has confirmed the existence of 28 new variants, including the Nigerian variant, the British variant, and others. But the new variant that has appeared is considered a 100% Moroccan genome strain, said Azzedine Ibrahimi, who is not at all shaken, given the positive effects of vaccination in the kingdom. "This leads to a sense of security in the public as long as they see that the number of deaths is declining and that the health system is supporting the number of positive cases of the virus," stressed the specialist, who is also a member of the Covid-19 Scientific Committee.

However, "the genomic state of the viral strains present in Morocco calls for a lot of caution". On his Facebook page, he stated that "after analyzing the genomic sequence of the strains that appeared in Dakhla, which was done by our laboratory in cooperation with the Institute of Health, which proved that the issue is related to British ancestry, we can conclude that this strain, which has reached the farthest point of Morocco which has a low population density, will inevitably be present in all Moroccan regions".

Thus, although the situation is semi-stable in the kingdom according to Prof. Ibrahimi, it will be necessary to continue to respect the measures in place, "especially since our vaccination process is not yet complete, and is still at the mercy of the international vaccine market". His wish "is to get out of the Covid-19 crisis with the summer, and more particularly with Eid al-Adha, if God wills, with the least human, social and economic losses". From a scientific point of view, Prof. Ibrahimi hopes from May 10, a relaxation of the restrictive measures with the stabilization of the data and after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday.

In addition, all final exams in terms of education will be done in person. Similarly, cafes and restaurants will be able to open and gatherings could be increasingly authorized. The lifting of restrictions will thus be done gradually until the last measure, says Prof. Ibrahimi.