COVID-19 SITUATION IN MEXICO Weekly Review # 46 March 17, 2021
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DISTRIBUTION OF DEATHS PER STATE: CONFIRMED CASES: 2,167,729
NEW CASES REPORTED: 1,439
DEATHS: 194,944
ACCUMULATED DEATHS PER DAY
Information updated on March 15, 2021 at 19:00 hrs local time.
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INCREASE OF CONFIRMED CASES SINCE THE FIRST REPORT MAP WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INCIDENCE RATE OF ACCUMULATED CASES OF COVID-19 BY ENTITY OF RESIDENCE.
National rate 1680.77
0 to 500 (1 states)
1,5001 to 2,000 (4 states)
501 to 1,000 (6 states)
>2,000 (8 states)
1,001 to 1,500 (13 states)
Elaborated by Prodensa with information from the Health Ministry of Mexico
CORONAVIRUS IN THE WORLD (COVID-19) • As of March 15, 2021, globally there have been reported confirmed 119,603,761 cases (391,231 new cases) of COVID-19 and 2,649,722 deaths (7,110 new deaths*). Lethal rate: 2.2%. • In the last 14 days, the number of new cases accounts for 5% (5,691,375) of the total of accumulated cases. *https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200323-sitrep-63-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=d97cb6dd_2
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TOWARDS THE “NEW NORMAL” INCIDENTS OF CONTAGIONS IN THE POPULATION BY REGION AS OF MARCH 16
DEATH INCIDENTS IN POPULATION BY REGION AS OF MARCH 16
COVID-19 Situation in Mexico
TOWARDS THE “NEW NORMAL”
The traffic light will be as follows:
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KEY POINTS OF THE PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR Morning press conference March 10 – 16, 2020
VACCINATION PLAN The President affirmed that there is coordination with the private sector for the application of vaccines. However, he pointed out that the problem is the supply and hoarding by ten countries, 80% of them. He called on the UN to resolve this issue and respect the agreement that was made to prevent hoarding. He affirmed that there are 140 million vaccines in contracts, and the commitment is maintained to have all older adults vaccinated by April. He reported that he is in communication with China for the shipment of 10 million doses of a new vaccine that they are producing. ELECTIONS The President indicated that the Agreement for Democracy seeks not to use the public budget of any government order to support any candidate, regardless of the party. He recalled that the crime of electoral fraud is already a serious crime, and whoever commits it does not have the right to bail. He affirmed that he intends to guarantee free and fair elections. BORDER WITH USA He reported that in the call with President Biden, issues related to COVID-19, migration, and climate change were mainly discussed; border crossing and sanitary restrictions for its opening have not been discussed, but they agreed to discuss these topics at the next meeting.
AIRPORT CANCELLATION The President mentioned that a special investigation into the process was requested from the Chamber of Deputies. He declared that the Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF) made a biased calculation that established that the cancellation cost was $330 billion. According to the audit, the real cost was $111 billion, which is why the scandal was generated from a mistake or the intention to harm the government.
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KEY POINTS OF THE PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR Morning press conference March 10 – 16, 2020
SUSPENSION TO ELECTRICAL POLICY When questioned about the suspension of the electricity industry’s reform and the protections granted to two companies, the President said that judges like the one who granted the suspension were created from the Energy Reform to protect private and foreign companies. He will go to the Supreme Court and ask the Federal Judicial Council to review these judges’ behavior to ensure that they are not at the service of individuals. He mentioned that his government is open to dialogue and negotiations to review excessive contracts. He affirmed that he is not canceling the energy reform, but he does want to remove the elements most harmful to the country so that companies can continue doing business with reasonable profits. SCHOOLS OPENING Dr. Jorge Alcocer mentioned that the Secretaries of Public Education and Health are working on a plan on the matter. There will be a meeting of both agencies on Friday, March 19. President Lopez Obrador mentioned that Campeche could be the first entity to return to classes after Easter. However, he specified that it is a decision that corresponds to the state authorities. FEMINIST MOVEMENT The President mentioned that everyday lawsuits are addressed, and abuses are prevented to ensure that women’s rights and peace are fulfilled. PRESIDENTIAL RELAY He mentioned that it will cause discontent to the adversaries that on the part of the 4T, there is already a replacement that belongs to the next generation since he intends to retire as soon as his term ends.
TRAVEL ALERT FROM USA TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO The Foreign Minister mentioned that Mexico will maintain the position of not requesting tests from international travelers.
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VACCINATION PROGRESS
As of March 15, 2021, 79,962 doses were applied with a cumulative of 4.4 million doses. 71% progress was made in the application of two doses for first and second-line health personnel. 2.9 million of senior citizens have the first dose of the vaccine.
Recent vaccine arrivals: • 600 thousand 600 doses of PfizerBioNTech vaccine. • 200 thousand doses of Sputnik V vaccine. • One million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. • Active ingredient for packaging three million doses of CanSino Biologics vaccine.
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MEASURES TAKEN BY STATES IN MEXICO BAJA CALIFORNIA Continuing to be considered as medium risk or yellow traffic light, State Government officials of Baja California reported that there are currently 297 active Covid-19 cases in the State, continuing a decrease in all municipalities. As the State´s largest city, Tijuana has the highest number of active cases, with 126, followed by Mexicali, with 107 active cases. Hospital occupancy is at a new low with an 11.8% average in public and private hospitals, with 826 hospital beds available and 245 available respirators. Only one death was reported in the past 24 hours, while five new cases were reported at the same time. With the vaccination campaign continuing, as of March 15th, it was reported that 82,371 adults over 60 years old had been vaccinated in the State, mainly focusing last week in the city of Mexicali. This week, the vaccination campaign will focus on the city of Ensenada, where over 40,000 vaccines are set to be administered. SONORA Marking one year after the first case was reported in Sonora, the State has been considered low risk or in the green traffic light according to the Federal Government´s measures. Sonora, along with Chiapas and Campeche, are the only three states in Mexico to be considered as low risk. During the last 48 hours, there were 48 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Sonora, while 3 deaths were reported in the same timeframe. According to the Federal Government, the next phase of the vaccination campaign in Sonora will allow teachers and professors to be vaccinated, given the plan to have schools return to have in-person activities in the following weeks. In order to mark the anniversary of the first Covid-19 case in Sonora, Claudia Pavlovich, the State´s Governor, lead a commemorative act on March 16th in honor of the victims, health personnel, and Covid-19 patients. COAHUILA The laboratories that the Government of Coahuila explores for the acquisition of the COVID-19 vaccine are in a position to supply it in the doses that they request for the second half of 2021. Although the states’ direct purchase looks far away, it is a good option for Coahuila, and this process will be under observation. To do this, the government says it is ready to pay it with its own resources.
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MEASURES TAKEN BY STATES IN MEXICO NUEVO LEON On Thursday, March 11, the Ministry of Health gave the endorsement for nurseries and childcare centers to provide service exclusively for the children of mothers who work in the presential format, so they must present a company’s certificate. On March 16, nurseries and childcare centers closed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic reopened. The number of kids was low compared to the period before the contingency. TAMAULIPAS On Tuesday, March 9, the vaccination of older adults in Tamaulipas began in the drive-thru mode. That is, people receive the dose from their cars. After more than eight hours in line, around 8:20 in the morning of this Monday, the vaccination day began at this point, intended for people aged 60 and over who have problems moving around and who cannot go to the other three points designated for it. After going to the different modules installed for vaccination, people had to remain in the parking lot for 30 minutes to observe any possible reaction. AGUASCALIENTES On Tuesday, March 16, Aguascalientes registered 45 cases and two more deaths from COVID-19. The State accumulates 19,993 infections and 2,322 deaths from the pandemic. There are 73 suspected cases and 401 active patients. The municipality of Aguascalientes concentrates 16,118 cases. Jesus Maria follows them with 992; Rincon de Romos with 566; Arteaga Pavilion with 498; San Francisco de Los Romo y Asientos with 289; Aguascalientes remained in the seventh position nationwide in the rate of tests applied per 100,000 inhabitants, with 4,954. The fatality rate in the Italian State is 11.6%. The entity registers an occupancy of less than 50% in beds for general hospitalization and beds with a ventilator. The SARI network counts 158 hospitalized patients, of which 94 are serious, and 64 are very serious (intubated). High blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity remain the comorbidities with the highest incidence among those who died from coronavirus. After authorities of the State Delegation of Programs for the Development of Aguascalientes, in joint work with the three orders of Government, concluded the details to carry out the application of the immunization of Covid-19, in the last three municipalities of In the rural area of Aguascalientes, it will be this Wednesday and Thursday that the vaccination will be given in El Llano, Tepezala and San Francisco de Los Romo. Older adults residing in the aforementioned municipal capitals may receive the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursdays and Fridays, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or until the doses are exhausted.
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MEASURES TAKEN BY STATES IN MEXICO GUANAJUATO In Guanajuato, there are 124 thousand 984 confirmed cases of covid-19, 655 are under investigation, while there are already 132 thousand 288 cases discarded. As for the cases by community transmission, there are already 124 thousand 828 identified. In addition, the number of cases recovered from the disease has already risen to 110 thousand 774. There are 10 thousand 154 deaths in the entity. This weekend another 37,200 vaccines against Covid-19 arrived in Guanajuato, and today, the application of these doses will begin in 6 more municipalities of the entity. The authorities made an exhortation for citizens not to spend the night in a row in the street, just as they have done in previous weeks with any cargo that has arrived in the state. On the other hand, last weekend, the vaccination of the elderly in Salamanca also concluded. In total, there were around 32 thousand Pfizer vaccines that were applied in this municipality. In this way, cumulatively, the older adults in Guanajuato who had received their vaccine against Covid-19 yesterday are 155 thousand 405 in 18 different municipalities of the entity. JALISCO Jalisco´s Ministry of Health registered 278 new coronavirus infections, with which 228 thousand 078 confirmed cases accumulate throughout the State; it also reported five deaths with which the entity reaches 10 thousand 884 deaths. This week, vaccination starts in ten municipal territories of Jaliscoduring the first day of vaccination against Covid-19. In the municipality of Tonala, 12 thousand 334 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were applied to people over 60 years of age. This represents three out of every ten doses received. Likewise, in eleven municipalities of Los Altos and La Cienega, 99.8 percent of vaccines applied to older adults were reached this Monday. Jamay, Poncitlan, Ojuelos, Mexticacan, San Ignacio Cerro Gordo, San Julian, San Miguel El Alto, and Tepatitlan have already closed vaccination with 100 percent of their assigned doses. As for the deaths associated with the coronavirus, this day, the Jalisco Ministry of Health notified five deaths, with which 10,884 deaths from Sars-CoV2 are reached. To prevent infections from growing, Jalisco´s Ministry of Health reminded citizens that the pandemic has not ended. They should not lower their guard and, on the contrary, should maintain the application of sanitary measures such as the use of face masks, antibacterial gel and keep a distance of 1.5 meters between people.
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MEASURES TAKEN BY STATES IN MEXICO QUERETARO With the upcoming holidays and vacation period, the state government has a concern that the epidemiological indicators related to Covid-19 will rise in the entity. In the pandemic framework, each special date has represented an increase of between 22 and 39% in the various indicators related to infections, said the state government’s organizational spokesperson, Rafael Lopez Gonzalez. Each special date, he explained, represents a month of constant work in the health services to lessen the impact of the infections generated. In the last week, there was a decrease of only 15 active cases of Covid-19 (transmitters of the disease), going from 1,720 reported on Sunday, March 7, to 1,705 on Saturday, March 13. The spokesperson said that if the current number of active cases were maintained with a trend of 15 fewer infections per day, it would take three and a half months to eradicate the transmitters. According to records from the IRAG Network, the level of hospital occupancy fell from 40 to 37% in the same period, decreased 3 percentage points, and maintained an average of 39.4% in the last seven days. During the reference week, 104 people who died from the disease were added. During the previous week, there were 106, just two fewer deaths. The Queretaro Technical Health Committee determined to keep the entity in Scenario B (in which it has been since February 15) for March 15 to 28. Although the Modulation index states that the entity could transition to Scenario A in the first week of April, the state is at an orange traffic light in the federal government’s parameter if the indicators remain downward. Within the study carried out by the Federation, Queretaro is the only orange state that is at risk of returning to the color red. Queretaro has already applied a total of 14,253 vaccines from AstraZeneca, distributed only in Amealco, Arroyo Seco, Jalpan de Serra, and San Joaquín. In the first 3 municipalities, they were divided for both health personnel and older adults, while in the last, they were exclusively for people over 60 years of age. So far, Queretaro has only presented 1 event of serious discomfort after vaccination. However, the federal ruling ruled out that this had a direct relationship with the vaccine since it was a medical staff member who already had a previous health condition. STATE OF MEXICO As in Mexico City, the State of Mexico will continue in orange color of the epidemiological traffic light. CDMX Mexico City continues to be in orange color of the epidemiological traffic light. More economic activities will open with strict health measures. Casinos and gambling houses, bowling places, theatres, and amusement parks may open with 20% of occupancy.
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MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY U.S., CANADA, EUROPE MEET OVER CONCERNS ABOUT AMLO’S ENERGY POLICY The United States, the European Union, Canada, and six other European nations have discussed concerns related to Mexico’s energy policy, sources told Reuters, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador seeks a greater role for the state in the sector. The unusual diplomatic meeting is a move in the face of the Mexican government’s break with the previous administration’s energy policy, which worries economies that have traditionally been some of the largest foreign investors in Mexico. U.S., Canadian and European officials have privately expressed concerns that Mexico’s energy policy is eroding the legal foundations of million-dollar contracts agreed to under the previous administration. Mexico’s government has denied that it is undermining these agreements but has reiterated that previous contracts often harmed the country and has sought to renegotiate the terms of some of these. At a meeting hosted by the U.S. embassy on Friday, March 5, diplomats from Britain, Canada, the European Union (EU), France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain discussed their concerns and to find out how to convey them to Lopez Obrador, five people familiar with this meeting reverberated. Lopez Obrador has pledged to strengthen the role of stateowned productive enterprises such as Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), arguing that the privatization of other industries in the past deepened inequality in Mexico and fostered corruption. Foreign investors’ concerns about Lopez Obrador’s economic policies have impacted investment and contributed to slowing the country’s economic growth.
Companies worldwide pledged to invest billions of dollars in Mexico under constitutional changes made by Lopez Obrador’s predecessor to open up the energy market, particularly for oil and gas. Lopez Obrador put the brakes on this process, arguing that no benefits have been registered for Mexico. Measures to strengthen the CFE have reduced private capital incentives to enter renewable energy projects, further clouding investor confidence in Mexico.
COVID-19 Situation in Mexico
People healed from coronavirus
Vaccinated people in the world
GOOD NEWS MEXICO EXPECTS U.S. RESPONSE TO ASTRAZENECA VACCINE REQUEST ON FRIDAY
The United States should respond by Friday to Mexico’s request to share doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine it has in stock, a senior Mexican official said on Tuesday, as Canadian authorities confirmed they also asked their southern neighbor for extra doses. “I’d say we’ve made good progress, but the details, figures, provisions won’t be known until Friday,” Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters. “We requested as many (AstraZeneca doses) as possible.” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador asked U.S. President Joe Biden for a vaccine “loan” during a virtual meeting on March 1, after Mexico’s vaccine strategy was knocked off course by slow deliveries from Pfizer Inc and the German partner BioNTech SE. “We are hoping for the help, support, and solidarity of the U.S. government,” Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference on Tuesday. He added that people in Mexico over 60 will be vaccinated by the end of April, a month later than previously planned.
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97.5 Millions 381.3 Millions
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RECOMMENDATIONS
EHS
BENEFITS OF GETTING A COVID-19 VACCINE COVID-19 vaccination will be an important tool to help stop the pandemic • Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system, so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. • The combination of getting vaccinated and following the Governmental’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19. • Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce the disease’s spread in communities, we will continue to update the recommendations to protect communities using the latest science.
DAVID ANTUNEZ Environmental, Health, and Safety Director.
LABOR
RE-OPENINGS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ECONOMY AND HEALTH The new federal epidemic traffic light, effective since March 15-28, shows a decrease in the alert level with a majority of states in yellow and three already in green, including Sonora. International experience has shown us that the relaxation of the measures combined with new strains with higher contagion levels has caused new confinements from universities in the U.S. that have had to close again to countries like Chile or Italy, restrictions and closures are again being implemented. Let’s not get tired of applying safety measures. Let’s be an example of safe re-openings for the good of the economy and health.
ALVARO GARCIA HR, Vice President
BASIC PROTECTIVE MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19
1 2 3 4 5 Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.
When coughing or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or use the inside corner of your arm.
Avoid shaking hands and kissing.
Keep your workspace clean and don't share personal items and utensils.
If you show symptoms of a cold or flu, go to a doctor. Do not self-medicate and inform your supervisor and Human Resources department.
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