The majority of the new cases announced today are in a hotspot in Ouarzazate.
Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health confirmed 69 new cases of COVID-19 during a 6 p.m. press conference today, April 22. In addition to the 168 new cases announced this morning, the country has recorded 237 cases in 24 hours for an overall total of 3,446.
Twenty-four new COVID-19 patients have recovered from the virus, including the five announced this morning, bringing the total number of recoveries in Morocco to 422.
Meanwhile, the death toll stands at 149. The ministry reported four deaths in 24 hours.
Over half the cases recorded in the past 24 hours were detected in a prison in Ouarzazate, southern Morocco, designated as a COVID-19 hotspot on April 21. Health authorities detected 120 cases in the prison, bringing its total to 186 cases.
As for the previously detected industrial and commercial hotspots across the country, none have recorded new cases except one industrial production unit in Tangier. The unit recorded 16 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 46.
Casablanca-Settat and Marrakech-Safi remain the hardest-hit regions in Morocco, with 27% and 22% of the country’s case total, respectively.
The regions of Fez-Meknes (490 cases), Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (461), and Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (282) continue to show a steady increase in case figures.
The cases detected in the Ouarzazate prison pushed Draa-Tafilalet to become the 6th most-infected region in the country, with 273 total cases.
Daily monitoring of people who made contact with COVID-19 patients remains the most effective method of detecting new cases. In the past 24 hours, monitoring detected 213 new cases, or 90% of the total daily increase.
Since the start of the outbreak on March 2, health authorities have detected 1,974 infections thanks to daily monitoring. More than 6,650 people are currently undergoing a 14-day monitoring period.
Since the start of the outbreak, Moroccan laboratories have also performed 16,439 medical tests on suspected COVID-19 cases that came back negative.
The average age of confirmed COVID-19 patients currently stands at 41 years, with 38% of the cases aged between 40 and 65 years, while 25 to 40-year-olds represent 30%.
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