(Bloomberg) — Mexico broke its record for daily COVID-19 infections, reporting 30,671 cases on Saturday as the Omicron variant continues to spread.
Deaths rose 202 to 300,303, while total registered cases reached 4.1 million. The country’s low testing levels means the real number of cases is likely much higher.
Mexican authorities, including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, have said repeatedly that omicron is not as severe as previous variants and there hasn’t been a significant increase in hospitalizations or deaths.
Apart from Mexico City, some of the hot spots for infections are states with beach resorts like Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, and Baja California.
Mexico is expected to increase vaccinations in the next few days with teachers scheduled to receive their booster shots starting Jan. 8. Pre-registration for a third dose is also open for people 40 and over. Currently, everyone over the age of 60 and health-care workers are eligible for a booster shot in the country.
Mexico has fully vaccinated 57% of its population, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The country’s stockpile of unused vaccines stands near 50 million, and inoculations slowed over the holidays.
