The number of coronavirus deaths reported on Tuesday hit the highest level recorded this month, federal health officials said.
The day’s death toll, which includes deaths that occurred previously but had not immediately been attributed to Covid-19, reached 990, pushing the accumulated total to 123,845.
The total number of cases registered since the pandemic began last March is now 1.4 million, up 12,099 since Monday.
Deputy Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said there were 18,893 Covid patients in hospitals across the country, although the majority — close to 10,000 — are in hospitals in the Valley of México.
The government’s coronavirus point man also said that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been administered to 18,519 healthcare workers in Mexico City, Coahuila and Nuevo León.
It is the first vaccine to arrive in Mexico but others are expected to follow soon.
President López Obrador said Wednesday that he expects the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine to arrive in March following its approval Tuesday by the United Kingdom.
Mexico already has a contract to purchase the vaccine while the Carlos Slim Foundation has an agreement with AstraZeneca to aid in its production and distribution in Mexico and Argentina.
