COVID-19 Update: Downward Trend Continues

Mexico is seeing a sustained downward trend in new COVID-19 infections and deaths. As reported by Animal Politico, the Ministry of Health registered a decrease of 19 percent in suspicious cases between the 18th and 19th week of the year. Our World in Data reports that the country has seen cases contract by 24 percent during the past two weeks and on May 17 there were 2,321 new cases and 200 deaths. For its part, the Ministry of Health reports 822 new cases and 56 deaths. The Ministry also notes that there are around 16,500 active cases, accounting for those showing symptoms in the last 14 days. To date, Mexico has confirmed about 2.38 million cases and 220,000 deaths.

This downward trend is also reflected in the population’s perception, as reported by the 67th COVID-19 poll carried out by Mitofsky. In this week’s report, only around 20 percent of the survey’s respondents stated that their greatest fear is contracting the disease, compared to 33 percent who fear for their earnings and 40 percent who fear being a victim of violence. This marks the lowest point since the beginning of the pandemic.

Regarding vaccination, the country’s efforts prioritized health professionals and the elderly and now focus on pregnant women, teachers and people aged 50-59. Around 12 percent of the country’s population has received at least one dose, and about 8 percent are fully vaccinated. This means that approximately 15.5 million people have received at least one dose and 10.6 million are fully vaccinated. Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador stated that he expects the whole population to have received at least one dose by October 2021, as reported by El Economista. 

As mentioned in Aristegui Noticias, Mexico’s Health Prevention Deputy Minister Hugo López-Gatell, stated that “These are very encouraging figures, this 86 percent reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations compared to what we saw in the first week of January. The number of new disease events and unfortunate deaths is similar to what we had a year ago, more or less what we had at the end of April or the first week of May 2020. But the epidemic is not over.” He added that currently, 31 states show a sustained decrease in the number of infections. If this trend continues, the country’s traffic-light could turn green, as reported by Excelsior. López-Gatell warned that there is a continued risk of a new outbreak and possibly a third wave as long as there are cases in the country and abroad. He urged the general population to keep preventive measures, independently of vaccination status, at least until there is a 65-75 percent immunity.