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Morocco recorded 93 new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections in the Kingdom to 556. During a press briefing in Rabat, Mohamed Lyoubi, chief of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division at the Health Ministry said the distribution by region has not changed.
Morocco ha also recorded two new recoveries, bringing the total number of people who have recovered from the virus in Morocco to 15. As for the number of deaths, Morocco has recorded 7 deaths in the last 24 hours, which brings to 33 the number of people who passed away due to the Covid-19 in the country.
Mohamed Lyoubi recalled that, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s strategy to deal with the pandemic, «the number was expected to increase. This is normal and expected», he insisted, recalling the cases of other countries in the world which are facing the same sanitary crisis.
«We said that phase II would be marked by the emergence of family infection trends. Currently, there are other outbreaks due to parties, weddings and ceremonies», he added, recalling the cases in Meknes and Casablanca in this regard.
A 6% fatality rate in Morocco
«Since we are in phase II, and given the need to quickly detect the virus and to identify the people who have been in contact with [confirmed cases], we have moved on to screen the virus in people in contact with [confirmed cases], as was the case in Meknes, where we identified 47 people who tested positive, as well as in Casablanca, which made it possible to detect 45 infections», he said.
Mohamed Lyoubi also addressed one of the questions that often arise, related to the increase in the number of deaths.
«This rate remains at 6% and if we compare ourselves to neighboring European countries, it is the same rate or even more in some countries. This rate is explained first by transparency because we are announcing the figures and the data as it is. Furthermore, these deaths are mainly recorded in vulnerable or elderly people, or those suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma».
The head of the Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control Division put an emphasis on the «age» factor, noting that «the average age among those who died is 66 years».
As for illnesses, he recalled that 82% of people who died had chronic illnesses. «For the state of health at the beginning of the treatment, 84% of the cases were mild while 16% were severe or critical cases,» he said, noting that for the deceased, 85% were in a «critical state of health».
Mohamed Lyoubi also explained, in accordance with the national strategy for phase II, that screening tests always have two objectives: «early detection, and promptness in the fight against the spread of this disease», he stressed, adding that «this does not mean screening for all citizens but only for people suspected of having Covid-19».
