Pandemic Wave in Morocco Eases with Drop in Cases

Arab World

September 1st, 7:11am

Rabat - Asharq Al-Awsat

Healthcare workers assist an elderly man after he received the COVID-19 vaccine, during a national coronavirus vaccination campaign, in Sale, Morocco January 29, 2021. (Reuters)

The coronavirus pandemic wave in Morocco has started to ease following a drop in new cases, the Ministry Health said Tuesday. Presenting a bimonthly report (17-30 August) on the pandemic in the country, head of the communicable diseases division at the ministry, Abdelkrim Meziane Bellefquih said that available data shows that “the curve of the epidemic entered a downward phase after a five-week phase of increase in cases and reached a peak before mid-August 2021.” “The current phase, still at its beginning, will be followed by another phase marked by a drop in critical cases and deaths,” he said, adding that during the past two weeks, Morocco has witnessed a drop in COVID-19 cases. “The weekly number of infections dropped from 63,174 in mid-August to 42,424 at the end of this month, that is a decrease of 17.6 percent,” Bellefquih said. Regarding active cases, nearly 60,000 were confirmed as of August 30, compared to 80,000 more than two weeks ago - a decrease of 25 percent. Bellefquih said that Morocco has administered 33 million COVID-19 vaccine injections. The North Africa country has expanded its vaccination campaign to include people between the ages of 12 and 17 ahead of the new academic year.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3164236/pandemic-wave-morocco-eases-drop-cases