Latin America

The pandemic’s actual death toll in Mexico likely to be 60 percent higher

The government in Mexico discretely published a report on Saturday revising the coronavirus death toll in the country by 60 percent

mexico Many Mexicans still don't wear face masks on the streets. Photo: Eve Orea/Shutterstock
Many Mexicans still don’t wear face masks on the streets. Photo: Eve Orea/Shutterstock

The government in Mexico published a report on Saturday that revised the coronavirus death toll in the country up by 60 percent.

Mexico has failed to adequately test its population for Covid-19, with a rate of only 46,000 tests per 1 million people — only Haiti has tested fewer in Latin America. In this scenario, the only way to get a clear picture of the pandemic’s human toll is by reviewing “excess deaths,” as well as death certificates. Based on those figures, health authorities said that the country saw 294,300 casualties “associated with Covid-19” by February 14. Since then, officials tallied another 26,800 deaths — taking the country’s total to over 321,000.

These revised figures would mean Mexico has the world’s second-highest coronavirus...

Don't miss this opportunity!

Interested in staying updated on Brazil and Latin America? Subscribe to start receiving our reports now!