Rabat – Speaking to local media, Moroccan professor and former temporary WHO medical advisor Chakib Hossini Laraqui believes Morocco should implement a two-week lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The professor of occupational medicines, who is also a member of the French National Academy of Medicine, believes that a short reconfinement is “obligatory!”
Speaking to the Moroccan news outlet Hespress, Laraqui stressed that “we must reconfine at least fifteen days minimum,” and warned that another flare up is likely to occur if the country does not take the necessary preventative measures.
Following Eid-al-Adha celebrations in late July, and the return of hundreds of thousands of Moroccans living abroad (MREs), Morocco experienced an unfortunate resurgence of COVID-19 across the country.
While July began with sub-1,000 cases a day, by the end of the month Morocco’s daily case count had reached nearly 10,000 cases. Intensive care bed occupancy rate has experienced a similarly alarming increase. In comparison to the occupancy rate of 7.3% on July 1, by August 19 the occupancy rate had reached 49.9%.
Morocco’s Ministry of Health has also expressed concern regarding the epidemiological situation in Morocco. On August 17, the ministry released a statement concerning the growing number of patients in intensive care units, suggesting that a growing number of critical cases is likely to lead to an “increase in the number of deaths.”
As the Moroccan healthcare system faces increasing pressure and strains, Larqui believes there is something else that could help immensely. “We must trivialize the PCR and reduce its price to MAD 50, or at least allow doctors to use saliva tests to treat their patients and save time,” he told the same Moroccan outlet. Additionally, this should also prevent the onset of seasonal viruses, such as influenza, he added.
Already on July 22, when the occupancy rate of intensive care unit beds was at only 16.7%, Jamal Eddine Kohen, the president of the National Federation of Anesthesia-Reimagination (FNAR) and of the Moroccan Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Resuscitation (SMAAR) raised concern with the situation. Calling the situation “very alarming,” Kohen stressed that “the hardest part is still to come.”
“We have to wait ten or a fortnight to see the fallout from the gatherings that took place before and during Eid,” he told the Moroccan outlet Le360, adding that “Hospitals fear being overwhelmed by this umpteenth wave.”
With close to 10,000 new daily cases on most days throughout August, it remains to be seen what measures Morocco will take to slow down the spread of COVID-19. But with warning signs that are all too concerning, some type of more stringent preventative measure is clearly necessary.
