Morocco to further expand Coronavirus tests

Morocco is expanding its testing capacity for Covid-19 by opening the door for laboratories to test for the virus provided they respect a set of requirements.

Morocco, which so far tested 2.58 million people for the virus, had earlier this month allowed 18 private laboratories across Morocco to test for the coronavirus to alleviate the burden on public hospitals and laboratories.

The North African Kingdom has imposed testing for people who are either leaving or entering the country. The test is also often required in the job market.

On Monday, Morocco had a total of 119,107 cases including 2113 deaths and 97,468 recoveries leaving 19526 active cases.

The number of critical cases rose to 415 and the number of people under artificial respiration stood at 39.

As the flu season in autumn nears, doctors are warning of challenging times ahead due to the difficulty in distinguishing between Covid and the common cold as both share many symptoms.

Morocco had ordered the Oxford University-AstraZenica vaccine and is collaborating with Sinopharm on vaccine trials.