The federal Health Ministry reported 14,409 additional coronavirus cases over the weekend including 9,556 on Saturday, a new single-day record.
With 4,853 new cases reported on Sunday, Mexico’s accumulated case tally rose to 439,046.
Saturday’s record number of cases exceeded the previous high of 8,458 cases, registered by health authorities a day earlier, by 13%.
Just over 7% of the total number of confirmed cases – 32,015 – are considered active, while there are also 83,119 suspected cases.
The Health Ministry also reported 1,058 additional Covid-19 deaths over the weekend, 784 on Saturday and 274 on Sunday.
Mexico’s official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 47,746, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Brazil.
Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía told reporters at Sunday night’s coronavirus press conference that 1 million people have now been tested for Covid-19 in Mexico.
However, the testing rate remains low at just under 7,800 per 1 million inhabitants, according to German statistics portal Statista.
Alomía also reported that 44% of general care hospital beds set aside for coronavirus patients and 39% of those with ventilators are currently occupied.
At 74%, Nuevo León and Nayarit share the highest occupancy rate for general care beds. The former state also has the highest rate for critical care beds, at 65%.
Alomía presented more detailed data about the coronavirus outbreaks in Hidalgo, México state and Morelos.
He said that new case numbers in Hidalgo increased during several consecutive weeks until epidemiological week 21, which ran from May 17 to 23.
New cases subsequently remained stable at about 500 per week until week 28 – July 5 to 11 – when they reached 600. However, new case numbers rose again in week 29, reaching almost 800, before declining to about 700 the following week.
But Alomía said that additional cases corresponding to week 30 may have not yet been reported and thus Hidalgo’s upward trend may have in fact continued.
The central state has recorded 6,994 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic and 1,086 Covid-19 deaths.
At the municipal level, Pachuca, the state capital, has recorded the highest number of cases followed by Mineral de la Reforma and Tizayuca.
In México state, which has the second highest case tally in the country after Mexico City, new case numbers rose steadily for several weeks until epidemiological week 23, which ran from May 31 to June 6, when they reached about 5,000.
Case numbers then declined for three weeks before rising again in week 27, or June 28 to July 4. However, case numbers fell again the following week and remained steady in week 29 before declining in week 30 to about 2,000.
México state has recorded 53,735 cases since the new coronavirus was first detected in Mexico, and 6,511 confirmed Covid-19 deaths, the second highest number among Mexico’s 32 states.
Alomía said that only 7% of cases are estimated to be active, “which means that the epidemic is slowing down in México state.”
He said Toluca has the highest incidence of cases per 100,000 inhabitants but state government data shows that Ecatepec and Nezahualcóyotl, both located in the metropolitan area of greater Mexico City, have recorded the highest number of cases in sheer terms.
Among the top 10 México state municipalities with the highest number of confirmed cases, nine are in the greater Mexico City area with Toluca, the state capital, the only exception.
In Morelos, which borders Mexico City to the south, new case numbers rose steadily until epidemiological week 19 – May 3 to 9 – before declining in week 20.
New infections rose again the following week to just over 300 cases before remaining stable for three weeks in the second half of May and early June. Case numbers began to decline again from mid-June, a trend that lasted three weeks.
Case numbers rose again in week 28 – July 5 to 11 – to about 250 before declining slightly in the following two weeks.
Alomía said the estimation that just 8% of cases in Morelos are active is indicative of the downward trend seen in recent weeks.
The small central state has recorded 4,131 confirmed cases, the sixth lowest tally in the country, and 842 Covid-19 deaths.
Cuernavaca, the state capital, has recorded the highest number of cases in Morelos, with 999 as of Sunday. Cuautla ranks second with 690 confirmed cases.
Source: El Universal (sp), Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp)
