Covid-19 in Mexico: 35% more deaths, according to the statistics institute

Mexico has recorded 35% more deaths from Covid-19 than the figure announced by the government, the national statistics institute, INEGI said Thursday, July 29.

Julio Santaella, president of INEGI, said on Twitter.

As of Wednesday, the government reported 2,790,874 confirmed coronavirus cases and 239,616 deaths.

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Mexico, with a population of 126 million, is the fourth most affected country in absolute terms by the pandemic, although its death rate per 100,000 inhabitants is the 21st, according to AFP statistics based on official counts .

INEGI said in a statement that Covid-19 became the second leading cause of death in the country in 2020, behind heart disease and diabetes.

The difference between the numbers is that health authorities get information about deaths in hospitals, while INEGI also counts death certificates from other locations.

Last January, when the number of confirmed deaths from January to August 2020 was released, INEGI reported that many people had not died in hospital but at home.

The Institute added that the population over 65 was most affected by the disease in 2020.

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Mexico is currently experiencing a third wave of coronavirus infections, which mainly affects younger people who have not been vaccinated.

This week, the vaccination campaign was extended to people between the ages of 18 and 29.

INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica y Geografia) is an official institution of the Mexican government which was created in 1983 by presidential decree.