Omicron Peak Expected in Morocco by Late January, Health Officials Say

"When a wave is fast, it is brief," explains Dr. Mouad Merabet, epidemiologist and medical coordinator of the National Public Health Emergency Operations Center. According to the scientist, the Omicron wave will likely reach its peak "in the third week of January", specifying that "some regions will experience their peak in a delayed manner".

"There is a lag between the regions, this lag existed, but today it is more important. It is three weeks between Casablanca and the southern regions and the Oriental, for example," emphasizes Dr. Merabet, recalling that Morocco recorded on August 5th last, 12,039 new cases, the highest daily number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic. He fears exceeding this record with the Omicron wave. "Most likely, we will exceed 12,000 cases, because the doubling time of cases is shorter," he notes.

But it will all depend on the vaccination rate, the implementation of new restrictive measures, compliance with barrier gestures, etc., adds Dr. Merabet, who indicates that, in any case, Casablanca and Rabat will be hit hard by this 3rd wave. Casablanca has already exceeded its own Delta peak with 4,000 new cases as of January 7th, and the number of new daily cases recorded in Rabat has already reached 3,128 as of January 7th, 2022, far ahead of the record of 2,881 cases reached on July 28th, 2021.

"If there was better compliance with barrier measures, and better adherence to vaccination, we could be in a better epidemiological situation," insists the scientist, deploring the non-compliance with barrier measures by the populations. "We say that internationally, Omicron is less deadly, but let’s not forget that in Morocco, we still have Delta circulating, and it is more serious. Omicron and Delta are circulating simultaneously..." explains Dr. Merabet, who reassures that "the hospitals have been reorganized, have been equipped with the necessary means to cope with this new wave".

"That said, we must remain vigilant, we must not underestimate this wave... The third dose can be considered today as a response vaccination, its effect is visible in 48 to 72 hours. People need to mobilize to get their third dose, because in 3 days, the level of immunity will be reactivated again," he concludes.