Morocco’s Covid-19 Cases Rise Despite Declining Positivity Rate, Delta Variant Spreads

On his Facebook page, Azeddine Ibrahimi, director of the biotechnology laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, reviewed the epidemiological situation in the kingdom, noting that the signals are still red, although the positivity and mortality rates are declining.

First, the specialist noted that the Delta variant continues to rage at an exponential pace in Morocco. Result: the number of positive cases and admissions to intensive care continues to increase, adding that the epidemiological peak is imminent.

"I think we have already reached the peak of this wave and that it is now possible to talk about a flattening of the curve of contaminations. However, this remains intrinsically linked to the regional evolution of the health situation, since the regions have not been simultaneously hit by this wave of the pandemic which is not yet over," explained the expert.

However, he continued, disparities are observed at the national level in terms of the health situation. "While the health situation in the Souss-Massa and Marrakech-Safi regions has seen an improvement in all epidemiological indicators, I think the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma regions will see a considerable increase in cases of contamination. I hope we will be ready to deal with this worrying situation," he said, specifying that the mortality rate has dropped, going from 1.7 to 1.4 this week.

Regarding the anti-Covid-19 vaccine and its duration of action, Mr. Ibrahimi indicated that according to a recent scientific study, "the effectiveness of vaccines would decrease in seven months, particularly in the elderly and patients with immune diseases or those receiving immunosuppressive treatments. This is why many countries recommend the injection of booster doses".

To this end, the expert recommends the injection of a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people over 70 and those with chronic diseases. "We must also call on the unvaccinated, belonging to these categories, to go to the vaccination centers so that they can preserve their lives," he stressed.

Moreover, the member of the Technical Scientific Committee for the Management of Covid-19, an improvement in the epidemiological situation could be observed in mid-September, when Morocco reaches a vaccination rate of 50% of its population.