Covid-19 cases have soared in central Mexico and the country’s southeast since the government declared the start of phase three of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, fueling a nationwide increase in case numbers of almost 50%.
The federal Health Ministry reported on Monday that there were 8,772 confirmed cases of Covid-19. On Friday, four days into the most critical phase of the outbreak, that number had grown to 12,872, an increase of 46.7%.
Case numbers in central Mexico and the southeast increased by an even higher 50% in the same period while those in western Mexico grew by a more modest 42%. Infections in the north increased by 38.4% in the four-day period.
There are now 6,687 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in central Mexico, a region defined by the Health Ministry as Mexico City, México state, Puebla, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Morelos, Tlaxcala and Querétaro. The figure accounts for 52% of the total number of confirmed cases across the country.
Among the central states, México state recorded the largest increase in case numbers between Tuesday and Friday – an alarming 121% spike. There were 901 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the state on Monday but that figure had grown to 1,992 by Friday.
Morelos recorded the second highest increase in case numbers in percentage terms with the number of people infected rising to 146 from 85 on Monday, a 71.8% jump. Case numbers in Hidalgo increased 68.5% to 155 while those in Mexico City rose 30.3% in the four-day period to 3,532. There are more confirmed cases in the capital than in any of the country’s 31 states.
In Mexico’s southeast – defined as Tabasco, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, Yucatán, Guerrero, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Campeche – there are now 2,128 confirmed Covid-19 cases.
The Gulf coast state of Veracruz recorded an 84.6% increase in cases in the four days since the phase three declaration, Tabasco saw a 63.5% spike and infections in Chiapas grew by 52.9%.
With a total of 649 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the disease was first detected in Mexico at the end of February, Tabasco ranks fifth for case numbers behind only Mexico City, México state, Baja California and Sinaloa.
In western Mexico, Baja California recorded the biggest percentage increase in numbers over the past four days with the number of confirmed cases now at 1,156, a 56% jump compared to Monday. Officials said this week that the health system in Tijuana, the state’s largest city, is struggling to cope with the high number of coronavirus patients.
In the northern region, Aguascalientes recorded the highest increase in cases this week with numbers spiking 82.5% to 146. Among the eight states in the region, Coahuila has the highest number of cases with 317.
At the Health Ministry’s coronavirus press briefing on Friday night, Director of Epidemiology José Luis AlomÃa reported 1,239 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day increase yet. Friday was the third consecutive day that more than 1,000 new cases have been reported after 1,043 on Wednesday and 1,089 on Thursday.
Among those who have tested positive are 1,934 health workers, AlomÃa said, a figure that accounts for 15% of all confirmed cases.
He reported that 4,502 of the confirmed cases are considered active and that more than 60,000 people have now been tested for the disease. In addition to the confirmed cases, there are 7,889 suspected Covid-19 cases, AlomÃa said.
Mexico’s coronavirus death toll also recorded its biggest single-day increase on Friday with 152 new fatalities. The total number of deaths from the disease now stands at 1,221. An additional 77 deaths are suspected to have been caused by Covid-19, according to Health Ministry data.
Mexico City has recorded the highest number of confirmed deaths with 297 followed by Baja California and México state, where 146 and 104 people, respectively, have lost their lives to Covid-19.
Source: Milenio (sp)Â
