Rabat – The Ministry of Health has announced 55 new cases of the coronavirus in Morocco bringing the total number of cases in the country to 225 as of 6 p.m. on March 25.
The ministry also announced an additional recovery, a 69-year-old patient from Casablanca. Morocco has recorded seven recoveries so far.
Fatalities, meanwhile, have increased to six after the death of a 65-year-old Moroccan man from Meknes, who suffered from a chronic illness.
Since the start of the outbreak, Morocco has tested 740 suspected cases of COVID-19 that yielded negative results.
The Casablanca-Settat region leads in the number of cases, followed by Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Fez-Meknes, Marrakech-Safi, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Souss-Massa, the Oriental, and Beni Mellal-Khenifra.
Meanwhile, the regions of Gulemim and Draa-Tafilalet have the least recorded cases with one each.
Fifty-one percent of Morocco’s COVID-19 cases came from abroad, while 49% of patients contracted the virus locally. Around 14 patients in Morocco are in critical condition.
The ministry said the coronavirus primarily affects people aged 51 and up, reporting that no cases among people aged 5 to 15 have been recorded.
About 669 people with suspected infections have finished their quarantine period, while 2,341 people are under medical surveillance.
During the press conference, the Ministry of Health spoke about the use of anti-malaria medications chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as treatment options for COVID-19.
The ministry said that many countries have started treating coronavirus patients with chloroquine, which “has promising effects.” Hydroxychloroquine is also now used in several countries, the ministry added.
The ministry allowed health facilities to use anti-malaria medication chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as potential treatments for the virus earlier this week.
Chloroquine should only be used under medical supervision. Doctors are very familiar with the medicine, as it is used for several illnesses.
Morocco has a sufficient stock of chloroquine, both locally-produced and imported, assured the ministry.
Authorities have supplied all university, regional, and provincial hospitals with the drug.
Patients who suffer from a chronic illness that requires a medicine containing the chloroquine substance can receive the drug for free after presenting their medical files.
