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Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
A Moroccan national residing in Italy reportedly carried the virus to the North African country.
Morocco’s laboratory of the Institut Pasteur confirmed the case.
The ministry’s statement said that the patient is in a stable condition, emphasizing that his health status is not “worrying.”
“The ministry will continue to share updates about the situation as it was doing in the past weeks,” the statement assured.
The citizen is in quarantine in the Moulay Youssef Hospital in Casablanca.
The outbreak in Morocco emerged amid mounting concerns from both the government and citizens.
Moroccan health authorities announced they are prepared to tackle the epidemic, suggesting that they were waiting for the first case to appear.
Previously, Moroccan health officials announced negative results for several suspected cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) pledged to support Morocco with all necessary equipment in case of the outbreak. WHO also said that the county has the technical skills to face the virus.
Other African states that have confirmed cases of the disease include Senegal, Algeria, and Nigeria.
Several other countries in the region, including Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, announced their first cases of COVID-19 today.
Due to mounting concerns, Saudi Arabia decided last week to suspend the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca to avoid the coronavirus outbreak.
China, where the virus first appeared in December 2019, remains the first on the list in terms of infections and fatalities.
