The new updates stipulate that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 should begin treatment before receiving PCR test results.
Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health announced on Saturday the update of its health protocol for COVID-19 patients, seeking to improve the management of cases.
In a statement, the ministry said the updates take into account the current national epidemiological situation. The new measures are also in line with the recommendations of the Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee on Prevention and Control of Influenza and the protocol for the management of COVID-19 cases.
The ministry argues that the aim of the update is to start COVID-19 treatment as quickly as possible and to improve the conditions for managing cases.
“The revised protocol includes, in particular, an update of the definitions of cases of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 infection and of the management protocol,” the ministry said.
The new protocol identifies a suspected case as any person presenting signs of acute respiratory infection. Symptoms include cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing, with or without a fever of greater than or equal to 28 degrees Celsius.
The ministry said that the loss of smell or taste is another strong indicator of probable COVID-19 infection.
The ministry said that any suspected case with strong symptoms, CT images very suggestive of COVID-19, or sudden symptoms without an obvious alternative cause indicate probable infections.
The ministry also considers any death without obvious cause after symptoms of respiratory distress to be a “possible case” of COVID-19.
The new update clarified that a “confirmed case is any person in whom an infection with SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed by molecular diagnostic techniques,” such as PCR.
The ministry said that treatment should be prescribed according to the recommended protocol.
Treatment should begin “as quickly as possible, without serological confirmation for probable cases and before receipt of the PCR result for contacts with co-morbidities.”
As of September 5, Morocco has recorded 70,160 cases, 53,929 recoveries, and 1,329 deaths.
The number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in Morocco now stands at 14,902.
Morocco is on track to launch the large-scale production of Moroccan-made COVID-19 tests to further consolidate the country’s screening capacity.
