ADVERTISEMENT

Virus in Mexico Under-Recognized With Poor Hit Hardest, WHO Says

Virus in Mexico Under-Recognized With Poor Hit Hardest, WHO Says

Mexico’s limited testing means the pandemic is “clearly under-recognized,” according to the World Health Organization.

Testing continues to be limited, with the country performing only about three tests per 100,000 people, said Michael Ryan of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program on a webcast published on CBC’s website Friday.

Mexico’s situation is “complex,” Ryan said, because many people are being under-diagnosed or diagnosed late and it’s hitting poor and indigenous communities especially hard. There’s a sharp difference in mortality among the wealthier districts and the poor municipalities, he said, adding that people living in poverty are more than twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than those in more affluent areas.

As of Friday, the country has confirmed 543,806 cases and 59,106 deaths, though experts have said limited testing means the real number of cases could be in the millions.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.