Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he has COVID for the second time: Coronavirus Update: NPR
A woman receives results after a COVID-19 test, outside a pharmacy in Mexico City on Monday.
Marco Ugarte / AP
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Marco Ugarte / AP
A woman receives results after a COVID-19 test, outside a pharmacy in Mexico City on Monday.
Marco Ugarte / AP
MEXICO CITY – The President of Mexico on Monday announced that he had taken COVID-19 for the second time, as coronavirus infections spiked in Mexico and tests for the virus became scarce.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote that he had tested positive, after he spoke hoarsely during a morning press conference. He contracted COVID-19 and recovered from it for the first time in early 2021.
“Despite the mild symptoms, I will remain isolated and only work from the office and hold online meetings until further notice,” the president wrote on his social media accounts. . “In the meantime, Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández will attend press conferences and other events on my behalf.”
Two of the president’s Cabinet secretaries, who head the Environment and Economy departments, announced that they had tested positive in recent days.
Earlier in the day, the president told Mexicans to just assume they have COVID-19 if they have symptoms. The number of confirmed cases jumped 186% last week. .
López Obrador claims the Omicron variant is “a little bit COVID”, noting that hospitalizations and deaths do not increase at the same rate. Those are both late indicators, however, and may not show up for weeks after infections spike.
Reading advice posted on Twitter, the president said Mexicans with symptoms should just stay home, take paracetamol and isolate, rather than going out and trying to seek tests.
Since Christmas, private pharmacies and the few available testing centers have been overwhelmed by long lines. The advice on Twitter is based on guidelines from Mexico City and other health authorities.
López Obrador’s administration has long refused to launch mass testing, calling it a waste of money. He urged companies not to require COVID tests for employees.
Mexico passed 300,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths last week, but so few tests have been done in the country of 126 million people that the government’s review of death certificates puts the real number on hold. is close to 460,000.
The president said a spike in the virus was responsible for the 260 flight cancellations between January 6 and January 10, the president said, due to infected airline workers and medical emergencies. quarantine, causing staff shortages.
José Merino, head of Mexico City’s Digital Innovation Authority, said the capital has the same number of Covid cases as the peak in January 2020, but only 6% of the number of people hospitalized. he wrote on his Twitter account that 70% of those hospitalized are not vaccinated.
