Morocco’s Major Cities Face Critical COVID-19 Surge as ICU Beds Near Capacity

The situation is very tense regarding the occupancy of intensive care beds. It exceeds the national average, which is 42%. In other words, 42% of intensive care beds are occupied nationwide, says Dr. Moulay Said Afif, Member of the Scientific and Technical Vaccination Committee against Covid, to Medias 24 colleagues.

But this average does not reflect the situation in the cities of Casablanca and Marrakech, where intensive care beds are practically saturated. It becomes very difficult to find available intensive care beds, he notes, adding that the majority of reported cases are 50 years and older, and are not vaccinated. He also mentions diabetic and obese people.

Faced with this situation, the same source points out, the specialist fears more stringent health measures if the situation worsens in the next two weeks. "If the number of occupied intensive care beds increases, then yes, it is very likely that the Committee will demand more restrictions. It all depends on us; on our behaviors," he warns.

Moreover, Dr. Moulay points out that Morocco’s challenge remains to vaccinate 80% of the population with two doses, adding that the kingdom intends to diversify its vaccine arsenal. He specifies that the kingdom is ready to receive the Pfizer vaccine.