MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president introduced Monday he has come down with COVID-19 a second time, as coronavirus infections spike in Mexico and virus checks turn out to be scarce.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote that he examined optimistic, after he had sounded hoarse at a morning information briefing. He contracted COVID-19 and recovered from it the primary time in early 2021.
“Even though the symptoms are light, I will remain isolated and only work from the office and hold on-line meetings until further notice,” the president wrote in his social media accounts. “In the meantime, Interior Secretary Adán Augusto López Hernández will take over for me at press conferences and other events.”
Two of the president’s Cabinet secretaries, the heads of the Environment and Economy departments, introduced that they had examined optimistic in current days.
Earlier on within the day, the president instructed Mexicans to only assume that they had COVID-19 if that they had signs. The variety of confirmed circumstances spiked by 186% final week. .
López Obrador claimed the Omicron variant is “a little COVID,” noting hospitalizations and deaths had not elevated on the similar fee. However, specialists say these are each lagging indicators that will not present up for weeks after infections spike.
Reading recommendation posted on Twitter, the president mentioned Mexicans with signs ought to simply keep at dwelling, take paracetamol and isolate, relatively than going out and looking for checks.
Since Christmas, personal pharmacies and the few obtainable testing facilities have been overwhelmed by lengthy traces. The Twitter recommendation drew on pointers from Mexico City and different well being authorities.
López Obrador’s administration has lengthy refused to implement mass testing, calling it a waste of cash. He referred to as on firms to not require COVID checks for staff.
Mexico handed 300,000 test-confirmed coronavirus deaths final week, however so little testing is finished within the nation of 126 million {that a} authorities assessment of loss of life certificates places the actual toll at virtually 460,000.
The virus spike was largely accountable for the cancelation of 260 flights between Jan. 6 and Jan. 10, the president mentioned, as airline staff bought contaminated and needed to isolate, inflicting workers shortages.
José Merino, the top of Mexico City’s Digital Innovation Agency, mentioned the capital had the identical variety of Covid circumstances as the height of January 2020, however solely 6% as many individuals hospitalized. he wrote in his Twitter account that 70% of these hospitalized weren’t vaccinated.
