More Medical Supplies Arrive / Regional Health Plan Approved

Medical supplies continue to arrive in Mexico. Minister of Health Jorge Alcocer announced that more than 44.5 million medical supplies from 1,180 keys have arrived in Mexico, which were obtained through an agreement with the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS).

The Institute of Health for Well-being, UNOPS and the pharmaceutical industry have reiterated their commitment to address the drug shortage in Mexico, which was aggravated in 2019 due to budget cuts and the change in the way the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador buys medicine.

Third wave of COVID-19 continues to decline. Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell announced that Mexico has had eight consecutive weeks of decline in COVID-19 infections. “There is a 25 percent reduction in cases and the trend continues. The same is true of hospitalizations; there is a downward trend in occupancy. Fewer people are arriving at hospitals and it continues to be a sustained trend throughout the Republic." In addition, he called on Mexicans to continue respecting health measures and to get vaccinated.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported that there are 3,367 new cases of COVID-19, which is the lowest number registered since the start of the third wave in Mexico. In addition, it was announced that the cumulative number of cases is 3.5 million, while the number of deaths is 271,765.

Ministry of Health: New COVID-19 variant Mu is not more contagious. López-Gatell said that there is no scientific evidence to prove that the Mu variant is more contagious, virulent or reduces the immunity of vaccines. “We already have the Mu variant, which was identified in South America. It is not classified as a variant of concern but of interest, since there is no evidence that it is more harmful.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) identified a new variant of COVID-19 called MU on Aug. 30, 2021. The MU variant originated in Colombia in January and is being studied to determine its impact on vaccinated and unvaccinated people. It has a prevalence of less than .1 percent globally; however, in Colombia it is 39 percent and in Ecuador 13 percent.

Regional health self-sufficiency plan is approved for Latin America and the Caribbean. Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard applauded the approval of the regional health self-sufficiency plan at the sixth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). "The plan consists of seven lines of action, aimed at building the region's capacities in the face of threats such as the pandemic. The most important thing is that this plan was unanimously approved."

The CELAC Summit was held on Sept. 18 in Mexico City and was attended by 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the economic and health crisis in the region were the main topics discussed. During the summit, participants agreed on the importance of taking immediate action to democratize and expand vaccine production so that the entire region is protected.

Ebrard: Haitian migrants are being misled. Ebrard said that the number of Haitian migrants arriving in Mexico has increased due to rumors of the possibility of obtaining residence permits in the US; however, that is not true. Ebrard explained that the US government announced that it will extend the deadline to apply for residency permits only to Haitians who have been living in the country for a long time. “Caravans of Haitians have arrived in Mexico from Brazil and Chile. They do not ask to be refugees in Mexico but to be allowed free passage to the US. As a country, we have a responsibility and we must work regionally to address this situation because they are being deceived."

Recently, elements of the National Guard were deployed to the southern border of Mexico to stop the multiple caravans of migrants seeking to reach the US. However, the number of migrants arriving in the US continues to increase. In July, US authorities detained 200,000 people, the highest number since 2000. With the arrival of migrants, the US and Mexican governments have begun to deport detained migrants.

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish