Mexico rises above 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases
Mexico has topped 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 175,000 deaths related to COVID-19, though officials conceded that the country's extremely low rate of testing means the real figures are much higher
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mexico topped 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 175,000 deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, though officials concede that the country’s extremely low rate of testing means the real figures are much higher.
The Health Department said 8,683 cases and 1,329 deaths had been confirmed in the previous 24 hours.
Mexico’s 175,986 test-confirmed deaths so far in the pandemic is the third-highest toll in the world, behind the U.S. and Brazil. But estimates of the country’s excess deaths for 2020 suggest the real death toll from the pandemic is more than 220,000. And excess death figures for January and early February — when the highest wave of cases came — have not yet been posted.
Mexico has barely begun vaccinating the elderly, and the department said about 189,000 doses had been administered in the first two days of the campaign. There are about 15.7 million people over 60 who need the shots.
Mexico has received only about 1.9 million doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines so far, enough for about 1 million people in a nation of 126 million.
Earlier Tuesday, Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico would bring up the issue of unequal access to vaccines among nations at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.
Ebrard complained that countries that produce vaccines have had far greater access to the shots than those that don't.
Mexico wants vaccines concentrated under a U.N. distribution program that would ensure more equal access.