Mexico Struggles to Fight COVID-19
City officials have been deployed across Mexico City to assist in sanitation efforts. Photo: City of Mexico
Mexico emerges as the third worst-hit country in the Latin American and Caribbean region and the seventh nation in the world with most confirmed cases of coronavirus. With a population of about 129 million, Mexico has the second-highest death toll in the region and the fourth-highest in the world, after the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
The first coronavirus case in Mexico was recorded on February 28 and the first fatality on March 19. As of July 22, the country has registered 362,274 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection, 41,190 deaths due to the disease and 231,403 recoveries.
The government’s lax attitude towards imposing strict preventative measures as well as the low testing rate are some of the reasons behind the widespread contagion and deaths.
The capital Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Tabasco, Veracruz and Puebla are the five most affected states in the country. Last week, on July 15, the government set up 34 medical camps in the most affected neighborhoods in Mexico City to diagnose COVID-19.
The main objective of these camps is to perform an accurate and urgent diagnosis to avoid the spreading of coronavirus in the crowded neighborhoods. The medical consultation is free of charge and the health professionals are assessing peoples’ symptoms and medical history to decide who must be tested for the virus.
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