The cases of covid-19 caused by the omicron variant in Mexico are 10 times higher than hospitalizations and deaths, the person in charge of the pandemic in the country, Hugo López-Gatell, said on Tuesday.
“Cases are 10 times higher than hospitalizations and deaths, the difference between rapidly growing cases and hospitalizations and deaths is very substantial,” the official said during the morning press conference from the National Palace.
He assured that the difference is “very substantial” with respect to the cases produced by the omicron and delta variants, although this is not exclusive to Mexico, but rather occurs in all countries where omicron is predominant.
He said that although it is a variant that spreads rapidly, the vast majority of sick people have mild symptoms, similar to other respiratory diseases.
“Only a small minority (of the new positive cases), a much smaller proportion of what happened with the delta variant, are hospitalized or die,” he said.
According to the official, hospitalizations and deaths from covid-19 have been mitigated thanks to progress in the vaccination plan, which has resulted in 92% of adults in Mexico already having the complete schedule.
“65 out of every 100 people who are hospitalized were without a vaccine or with an incomplete schedule,” he explained.
He added that in recent days there has been a great willingness to get vaccinated, especially from people who are lagging behind, who have seen the benefits of vaccination. “More and more people are convinced to get vaccinated,” he said.
In the same way, he pointed out that the rebound of the pandemic occurred during the vacation period, for which he ruled out that the return to face-to-face classes is the cause of the rise in infections.
“Reopening schools did not have an impact on producing more contagion,” he said.
Mexico adds just over 4.3 million infections and 301,469 deaths due to covid, making it the fifth country in the world with the most deaths from this cause.
Positive cases of covid-19 in the country reached a record number of 47,113 last Saturday, January 15, the highest recorded during the pandemic.