For every 100 cases of Covid-19, 8.7 resulted in one death in Mexico, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As a result, the country has the highest death rate among people infected with Covid-19, compared to the 20 countries most affected by the disease globally.
The country has so far recorded 1.9 million cases and 171,000 deaths. It is the third in the world with the most deaths from the coronavirus, behind the USA (480,000 dead) and Brazil (237,000).
In the death list, among the most affected countries, behind Mexico, are Peru (3.6 deaths per 100 diagnoses), Italy (3.5) and South Africa (3.2) . Brazil came in 12th place, with a rate of 2.4.
If you consider all the countries of the world, the death rate in Mexico comes just after Yemen, which has 28.7 deaths per 100 diagnoses of Covid-19.
Mexico experienced the most pandemic cases in January, after the holiday season. The crisis even caused a lack of oxygen cylinders.
There was an improvement in February. This Friday (12), the capital reduced the alert level from red to orange, due to the reduction in the number of hospitalizations. The bed occupancy rate for patients with coronavirus, an indicator used in Mexico to determine the level of vigilance, was around 90% in January, but fell to 67.8% on Thursday (11), according to the official data.
Mexico City and its metropolitan area, which concentrates most of the country’s economic activity, have been hit hardest by the pandemic and, therefore, those under the strongest restrictions.
The outbreak in the capital began to grow exponentially in December, after authorities postponed the closure of non-essential business establishments for weeks, even when the number of people infected exceeded limits set by the government itself. .
Restrictions eventually intensified in the capital, but many Mexicans ignored government calls not to leave their homes. The highest red alert was activated on December 18. As a result, only essential activities have been maintained.
“Now we are entering the orange level without lowering our guard, we will reactivate without risking,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, governor of the capital, at a press conference.
Even with an orange alert, several activities in the capital will remain limited. Only religious centers will be reopened, but without celebrations. The academies will have limited hours and capacity. Restaurants, which were already licensed to operate with outdoor tables, can stay open an additional hour. The malls reopened their doors last Tuesday, with restrictions.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, of the left, maintains negative positions, such as avoiding the use of masks and not respecting social distancing, although his government is campaigning for these measures.
Obrador, 67, was infected with the coronavirus in January, but despite this, he has not changed his posture. On the second (8), he gave his first press conference after recovering from the illness. When asked if he would wear a mask now, he replied “no, no. According to the doctors, now I am no longer contagious”. Despite this, cases of reinfection have been repeatedly reported around the world.
Despite the high death toll, Obrador has maintained his approval amid the pandemic. In January, 62% of Mexicans rated their government well, according to data from the Council of the Americas.
Mexico began immunizing its population on December 24, but has so far applied around 725,000 doses, which equates to 0.57 units per 100 population. In Brazil, 4.4 million people have already been vaccinated, or 2.09 injections per 100 inhabitants.