Mexico: A spike in infections

Mexico reported 7,989 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number in more than four months. According to the daily technical report, 183,560,151 confirmed cases and 3,978,581 deaths have been reported as of 5 July 2021. This increase in infections has not had an impact on hospital occupancy, says the Mexican government, demonstrating the importance of vaccination in reducing severe cases of the disease.

These numbers have not been reported since 25 February 2021, when there were 8,462 infections, according to official information. The country also added 269 deaths linked to the pandemic since the eve of that day, to reach a total of 233,958, a figure that placed Mexico as the fourth nation with the most deaths from the disease in the world.

The upturn is currently focused on coastal tourism areas (Baja California Sur, Yucatán, Tabasco and Quintana Roo) and the capital, Mexico City. So, even if hospitalisations and death tolls from COVID-19 remain at bay, this wave could have consequences for tourism in the country. 

Hugo López-Gatell, undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, explained that from epidemiological week 24 to 25 of 2021, an increase of 22% in estimated infections (confirmed and suspected cases) was observed. Although this is the third time that SARS-CoV-2 cases have increased, this time it is different, as part of the population is already vaccinated.

For this reason, it is expected that deaths and hospitalisations resulting from the infection will not increase at the same rate as the number of reported infections in the country, as was the case in previous waves. According to the report presented by Lopez-Gatell, other nations around the world have identified the same trend in this latest coronavirus upsurge.

"The countries that have had significant proportions of people vaccinated have managed to reduce mortality and severe cases precisely because the vaccines available have that as their main effect, to reduce the likelihood that a person, even if they could be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the likelihood that they will present serious illness and disease, and this is very noticeable in the epidemiological data," added the epidemiologist.

At the beginning of July, the percentage of vaccinated with one dose in Mexico amounted to almost 25% of the population, with 15% fully vaccinated. A coronavirus immunisation registration portal is now open for people over 18 years of age. Those who are of legal age and wish to be vaccinated can register and request an appointment. To register, access the portal https://mivacuna.salud.gob.mx, where it is necessary to have the following data: the Unique Population Registration Code (CURP), entity, municipality, postcode, telephone number and contact email address.

In addition, the COVID-19 vaccination certificate is now available. Lopez-Gattel explained that this document is useful especially for those who have the need or opportunity to travel to other countries, given that some countries maintain restrictions for unvaccinated persons. He also clarified that the vaccination certificate should not serve to condition the human right of access to work. It is appropriate and could be legal in certain circumstances to require a person to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is not appropriate for an employer in Mexico to require it and make it a condition for hiring as, according to him, it would be contrary to Mexican law. 

The document can be downloaded at https://cvcovid.salud.gob.mx/, where only the CURP is required. The vaccination certificate contains the type of vaccine received, the date of immunisation and a QR code that allows real-time verification by any immigration or other authority, as it takes the record from the Mexican government's database.

The goal of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government is to vaccinate, with at least one dose, those over 18 years of age before October to avoid contingencies, such as the one in Brazil, which has not been able to tame the pandemic since the end of 2020, or India, which experienced its worst crisis due to the virus in May.

Latin America Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.