Mexico’s COVID-19 cases are likely nearing 56,000 while the government only reports 6,297

The undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, said that, according to the evolution of the pandemic in Mexico, the Ministry of Health estimates that in the country the infections by COVID -19 could be 55,951, according to the Sentinel Model.

This surveillance model is an epidemiological monitoring system that emerged in Mexico in 2006 that allows the disease to be tracked without carrying out massive tests on the population. Mexico has tested less than 40,000 people since the start of the pandemic.

Through this scheme, it is sought “that there is a representative appreciation of the occurrence of the disease throughout the national territory and that they also represent the different levels of complexity of the health system,” said López-Gatell. “What is not seen is because it is not in the respiratory disease monitoring units,” said the official.

The federal government reported yesterday 6,297 positive cases, while the deceased amounted to 486. But if the Sentinel model is applied, the number of patients would be 8.2 times higher.

The unreliable model allows Mexico to continue under-reporting COVID-19 to the Mexican people and the international community by avoiding testing of the population. Mexico has tested less than 40,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Government extended non-essential work activities for another month, until May 30, in the areas with the greatest spread of the coronavirus.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported that the areas where contagion has been less or null, non-essential work can resume on May 17. However, many rural areas of Mexico have not conducted any testing for COVID-19, so there isn’t any record available to determine ‘less or null’ areas.

Quintana Roo is the State that “has stayed home the most”, Tlaxcala, stayed home the least, reported the Ministry of Health with data from Google, which measures mobility using cell phones.

The coronavirus pandemic boosted the sale of drugs in pharmacies, in March they grew 40%, according to the National Association of Pharmacies ( Anafarmex ). Home delivery in that industry rose 35% due to containment measures.

Antonio Pascual Feria, president of Anafarmex, said that March is a high month in sales, being the last of the influenza season. However, this year the coronavirus triggered sales of drugs for respiratory diseases.