39,485 Deaths, 349,396 Positive Cases

The Ministry of Health reported 301 new deaths from COVID-19 since yesterday, increasing the national death toll to 39,485. Over 5,172 more confirmed positive cases brought the accumulated figure to 349,396.

During today’s briefing, Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said that the national occupancy of general hospital beds for COVID-19 patients is at 46 percent, with Nuevo León, Nayarit and Tabasco reporting the highest figures. Across the country, ICU capacity is at 39 percent.

Estimated active cases – this is the addition of both confirmed and suspicious cases- rose to 46,820.

Alomía said to date there are 79,112 suspected cases which are still awaiting results. The confirmed cases in the world neared 14.7 million, according to the World Health Organization.

As of Monday, July 20

5,172     new cases (from yesterday)

349,396 confirmed cases nationwide

79,112   under investigation

39,458   deaths

Impact on markets (19.30 hrs)

US Dollar              MX$22.51            (-0.10%)

BMV IPC               36,323.69             (-0.01%)

Dow Jones          26,680.87             (0.03%)

Promising results in vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca showed promising results in early human testing, and is now set to move on to larger trials, according to The Lancet medical journal. The results were considered a key milestone by specialists. The vaccine, named AZD1222, increased levels of both neutralizing antibodies and immune T-cells that target the virus.

AmCham calls for respect on signed contracts

To take advantage of the benefits of the USMCA trade treaty and generate a greater economic recovery, the Mexican government must create the required incentives to attract investment and above all respect signed contracts, the American Chamber Mexico stated. According to the office’s advisor Luis Foncerrada, Mexico has kept macroeconomic stability during the first half of the year but this will not be enough to return to numbers before the pandemic.

Highest gold prices since Sept. 2011

Due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 and further stimulus measures, gold prices rose to their highest level since Sept. 2011, while silver also recorded its highest price in four years. Supported by the demand for safe assets in volatile markets, gold rose 0.4 percent to US$1,815.34 per ounce.

US committed vaccines for Mexico

US Vice President Mike Pence promised that Mexico would have access to treatments and vaccines against COVID-19 being developed by this country. According to a Minister of Foreign Affairs (SRE) report sent to Congress on President López Obrador recent visit to the US, Pence committed support and said the countries would work together to attend to infections in the border.

Embraer drop shows sectors plunge

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis Embraer reported that inQ220 it delivered only four commercial aircrafts, compared to the 26 units sold in the same period of the previous year. The health contingency has battered the world's air transport industry, with bigger competitors like Airbus and Boeing also facing serious difficulties with purchases orders.

Barbosa rejects CCE reactivation plan

There are no conditions to resume economic activities in Puebla, so the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) must stop pushing for this, Puebla Gov. Miguel Barbosa said. The governor asked CCE members to act accordingly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rejected their reopening proposal set for July 27.

82.1 percent of jobs lost in major sectors

Tourism, manufacturing, construction and commerce sectors experienced 82.1 percent of the formal jobs lost in the country during Q2 2020, according to the IMSS jobs registration. Mexico City, Quintana Roo, Guanajuato, Coahuila and Nuevo León were the hardest hit states. During April, May and June, the country moved from total confinement to a slow reactivation of economic activities, losing 983,084 affiliated workers nationwide in the process.