ADVERTISEMENT

41-Year-Old Is First Coronavirus Death in Mexico, Ministry Says

41-Year-Old Is First Coronavirus Death in Mexico, Ministry Says

(Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s Health Ministry confirmed that a 41-year-old man is the first patient to have died with coronavirus in Mexico.

The man had registered symptoms since March 9 and also had diabetes, the ministry said on its Twitter account. Health authorities have reported 118 cases of Covid-19 as of Wednesday evening, up from 93 one day prior.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ruled out closing airports and other tough measures to curb the pandemic earlier Wednesday, saying he’s trying to prevent a complete shutdown of the economy that would hurt the poor.

Read More: Goldman, Credit Suisse Forecast 2020 Recession for Latin America

Nevertheless, economists say the virus and an oil rout will plunge Mexico into recession this year, with Credit Suisse predicting a deep contraction of 4% of gross domestic product.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.