October was the second worst month for coronavirus cases in Mexico since the start of the pandemic, official data shows.
The federal Health Ministry reported a total of 181,746 new cases last month, an average of 5,863 per day.
July, during which 198,548 new infections were reported, is the only month that exceeded October for new case numbers.
Covid-19 fatalities increased 6.6% in October compared to September but the monthly death toll of 14,107 was only the fourth highest since the start of the pandemic after July, June and August.
However, last month’s high case tally is concerning given that hospitalizations of coronavirus patients and deaths generally lag new infections.
Mexico has now recorded a total of 929,392 confirmed coronavirus cases with 4,430 new cases reported on Sunday. The official Covid-19 death toll stands at 91,895 with 142 additional fatalities registered the same day.
Based on confirmed cases and deaths, Mexico’s fatality rate is 9.9 per 100 cases, the highest among the 20 countries currently most affected by Covid-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Mexico City continues to lead the country for confirmed coronavirus cases and Covid-19 deaths, with 162,693 of the former and 15,202 of the latter. México state ranks second in both categories with 98,365 cases and 10,710 Covid-19 deaths, according to official data.
The Health Ministry estimates that there are currently 50,981 active cases across the country.
In sheer numbers, Mexico City also leads the country for active cases with 12,739 but Durango ranks first on a per capita basis.
The northern state currently has 101.4 active cases per 100,000 residents, Health Ministry data shows. Baja California Sur ranks second with 91.1 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
At the municipal level, Querétaro city has the highest number of active cases in Mexico with 1,292 as of Sunday. Durango city and Monterrey, Nuevo León, both of which have just over 1,000 active cases, rank second and third, respectively.
The northern Mexico City borough of Gustavo A. Madero and Torreón, Coahuila, round out the top five with 941 and 837 active cases, respectively.
The accumulated case tally and Covid-19 death toll in Mexico are both widely believed to be much higher than official statistics show due to a low testing rate.
The Health Ministry reported late last month that there were almost 200,000 more deaths than expected between January and September 26 and that 139,153 were attributable to Covid-19.
By September 26, the Health Ministry had only reported 76,243 confirmed Covid-19 fatalities, a figure that equates to just 55% of the excess deaths determined to have been caused by Covid-19.
Source: Milenio (sp)
