The Grim Reality

Recently I came across a YouTube video of a British news report that was posted on the blog "Mexile" (which you will find in my blog list in the right hand margin).  I am going to repost it here.

In Mexico City the Hearses Just Keep Coming

Earlier I had found this article from the New York Times on the internet...

Hidden Toll: Mexico Ignores Wave of Coronavirus Deaths in the Capital

That article was lambasted by President López Obrador as "fake news".

Are these reports sensationalistic?  From what I hear from my friend Alejandro, a Mexico City native, during our nightly chats on Skype, I would say that they represent the grim reality.  Yes, his stories are second hand (he has been wisely isolating himself at home)... but they come from first hand reports from his relatives and friends.  He tells me of a Mexico City hospital where the staff have no protective gear and are being infected... of medical resident students from UNAM (the National University of Mexico) walking out of the hospitals because of the lack of safety precautions... of a doctor who thought the virus was a hoax, but who is now hospitalized with Covid... of a fellow who went to the doctor with a fever and cough, but who instead of being tested was simply sent home with antibiotics... the fact that no one is enforcing the rule that all passengers on crowded public transportation wear masks. 

From the very beginning, Alejandro has been telling me that the number of coronavirus cases and deaths are grossly underreported.  If you look at the statistics you would think that Mexico is faring much better than the U.S. with only 9,643 active cases and 4,477 deaths. (Compare that to 1,055,841 cases and 87,025 deaths in the U.S.)  However Mexico has one of the lowest testing rates of any major country in the world.  In the U.S. (which itself has been criticized for not doing enough testing) there have been 32,246 tests given for every 1 million people.  In Mexico 1,211 tests have been given for every 1 million.  Even the "official" figures do not make me optimistic.  Officials were saying that the peak of the pandemic would be reached on May 6th, and then they kept pushing the date back.  Somehow they say that the curve is flattening, yet the highest "official" number of new cases was reported today with 2,409 new cases, and May 13th saw the highest number of "official" deaths with 353.  (These statistics come from Worldometer, a website which tracks coronavirus in every nation of the world.).

President López Obrador is re-opening the economy on Monday.  Alejandro tells me that he has been pressured by the "pendejo" in the White House to open quickly so that Mexican factories can resume supplying car parts to U.S. auto manufacturers.  About half of the governors of the Mexican states are ignoring the President in regard to reopening schools.  They will not open again until the next school year in August.  Whether or not Claudia Scheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City and an ally of López Obrador, keeps the schools closed remains to be seen.

Some people, such as Alejandro's family, are taking the pandemic seriously, but others are not.  That is hardly surprising given the fact that López Obrador was late in viewing the virus as a problem.  Just a couple months ago he was constantly shown hugging and kissing crowds of his supporters, and he urged people to support their local economy by dining out at restaurants.  He remarked that pandemics won't do anything to Mexico, and that the Catholic scapular that he wears is his good luck charm.

I am extremely worried for Mexico, and for my "Mexican family".