Morocco Introduces Chloroquine for COVID-19 Treatment Amid Rising Cases

According to the scientific committee set up by the Ministry of Health, the treatment has started to be applied in all hospital structures treating covid-19 patients. A source contacted by Hespress stated that "the protocol was approved following a sovereign decision and patients with coronavirus have started to recover".

But how to explain the number of deaths despite the chloroquine treatment? This is explained, according to the same source, by the fact that "patients arrived at the hospital in a very critical condition. After half a day or a maximum of one day in intensive care, they lost their lives". She indicates that for patients treated with chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, "they need time to interact with the treatment. And this takes between 15 and 20 days depending on the immunity of each patient".

The Minister of Health, in a circular note, indicated that the decision to treat covid-19 patients with chloroquine was taken in consultation with the committee for all diseases called flu or severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). The minister also stressed that "rational management of the available chloroquine stock, acquired in its entirety from the French laboratory Sanofi based in Morocco, is essential", and that the stocks will be managed by the regional managers of the supply and pharmacy units "in a secure location".