All these dead and sick in Mexico have an explanation

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The holidays are taking their toll on this cold start of the year. After the Guadalupe-Reyes “Christmas holidays” period, the Ministry of Health has reported historical highs for deaths and active cases. Meanwhile, hospital occupancy is at 60 percent nationwide and at 89 percent in the Valley of Mexico, where it is difficult to get a bed or an oxygen tank to continue breathing

A month ago it was Christmas. As happened derived from the “Good End” in November, the increase in meetings, trips and purchases of gifts during the period known as  Guadalupe-Reyes triggered the active cases of COVID-19, including President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which are concentrated in the Valley of Mexico, Guanajuato and Nuevo León, despite repeated calls by the authorities to maintain social distancing measures.

In the last week of July 2020, there was a peak of active infections, after August-September, it was a period of reduction and from October, when the winter season began, the rise in active cases began again, exacerbated in December and January, according to data from the Ministry of Health. On repeated occasions, the Undersecretary for Health Promotion and Prevention Hugo López-Gatell has explained that, in general, after the increase in cases, 15 days later hospitalizations rise and, about 21 days later, mortality increases. So it has happened.

From December 11 to January 25, after the 15 days of the active virus against a possible contagion on Three Kings Day, the number of active cases increased by 45 percent from 63,400 (active from November 28 to November 11). December) to 91,841 (active from January 12 to 25), with a record high of 107,019 on Saturday, January 23. In the referred period, the estimated active cases (most suspicious assets) rose by 22 percent from 84 thousand 393 to 103 thousand 319 cases, with a maximum peak on January 23 with 122 thousand 986 infected. In recent days they have registered a downward trend, as seen in the linear graph.

There was a peak of active COVID-19 infections in the last week of July, then August-September was a period of reduction and from October it began to rise again, sharpening in December and January. Graphic: Ministry of Health.

After the increase in active cases, an upward trend in hospitalizations began to be seen, currently with 60 percent occupancy on average nationwide compared to 45 percent in the first peak in July 2020, show data from the Secretariat of Health. Eight entities have more than 70 percent of bed occupancy, this is the case of Mexico City (89 percent), Guanajuato (86 percent), State of Mexico (84 percent), Hidalgo (83 percent), Nuevo León (82 percent), Puebla (80 percent), Morelos (79 percent) and Guerrero (73 percent). Given this, the health authority has determined from January 18 to 31 ten states in Red Traffic Light, 19 in Orange, two in Yellow and only one, Campeche, in Green.

In yellow, total occupied beds. In red, general beds and in green, beds with a fan. Graphic: Ministry of Health

Meanwhile, the number of deaths from COVID-19 increased by 32 percent from 113 thousand 019 deaths on the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe to 150 thousand 273 on January 25, with a historical record of one thousand 803 deaths registered in the last 24 hours January 20.

“No parties, no posadas, no meetings with friends, neighbors, strangers, acquaintances. No, this is a year where we should not do it, ”requested the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell on December 11, the night the green light for the Pfizer vaccine was announced. “Recent evidence in the world, particularly from large metropolises like New York, reveals that the contribution of private parties and gatherings that take place in private spaces are having a very prominent role on the epidemic [due to the lack of social distancing, use of mask and ventilation] ”.

Eight entities are with more than 70 percent of bed occupancy. Photo: Cuartoscuro.

The funeral staff received the coffin of death due to COVID-19 in the Pathology Area of ​​the General Hospital of Zone 47 of the IMSS in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. Photo: Cuartoscuro.

From December 24 to date, the Government of Mexico has applied more than 642 thousand doses of vaccines, mainly to medical personnel nationwide, with an accelerated pace since January 12, reports the Ministry of Health. In addition, more than 1,335,000 Mexicans have recovered from the coronavirus in February to date, although some have respiratory, cardiac, neuronal, and/or psychological sequelae.

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40% OF CONTAGES IN ZMVM DUE TO GATHERINGS

Only in the Valley of Mexico, where the saturation of hospitals has reached 90 percent despite the Red Traffic Light decreed since the first week of December, the increase in hospital admissions from January 8 to 14 by about 40 percent was contagion product in family gatherings or parties that took place between the week of December 24 and January 2, reported the Head of Government Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

“As we have mentioned on many other occasions, it is in closed places where healthy distance is not respected, measures are relaxed and people live together for a long time where there is a greater number of infections,” he said.

This start of the week, in which ambulance sirens have not stopped in the streets of the country’s capital, more than 41 thousand estimated active cases were registered, more than 27 thousand deaths and, in the Valley of Mexico, the occupation of hospitals remained in 89 percent, reported the local government.

26 percent of hospitalizations in these first weeks of the year were from people who confessed to having been in family gatherings or with friends during December holidays, according to the Government of Mexico City based on a survey conducted between 8 and January 11 to 939 patients hospitalized for coronavirus in various public and private health institutions in the capital of the country, where residents of the State of Mexico are also admitted.

A woman is comforted after receiving news of her hospitalized patient in the Covid-19 emergency area of ​​the Hospital de Los Venados, in Mexico City. Photo: Cuartoscuro.

The other 6 percent attributed it to vacations during December-January; 12 percent in some activity during work; 8 percent in public transport; and 36 percent said they did not know where they were infected.

“Mexico City, as well as Guadalajara and Monterrey, are large metropolitan areas and have the greatest challenges of epidemic control. Only due to population density and size make change very slow once prevention measures are implemented. Hospitalization is still in the ascent period, ”commented Undersecretary Hugo López-Gatell this week. “The State of Mexico follows a very similar pattern of Mexico City because it is part of the same community in the Valley of Mexico, so it is also a trend that is still on the rise in hospitalization,” he added.

The scenario with the highest contagions in the Valley of Mexico is projecting 10,250 occupied beds in the following weeks, less than the maximum capacity of 11,007 that they have, so there is room for maneuver of attention and, in addition, the hospital reconversion program will continue.

However, the meetings also continue after the holidays. About 70 percent of the complaints that reach 911 are for a party, before which patrols of the Government of Mexico City come to the site to suspend them.

“We are going to continue to persuade the population, informing them that these parties do not take place. It is not the time for meetings because they are places where there are high levels of contagion and many times young people go, then they see their families and a family member because they are more vulnerable becomes infected and seriously ill, ”Sheinbaum said this week, days after the eviction at a party of more than 200 people in Chimalhuacán, State of Mexico.

DEMAND AND THEFT OF OXYGEN TANKS

Along with the increase in active cases of coronavirus on this slope in January, the demand for oxygen tanks increased so that patients who do not reach a bed in hospitals can continue breathing. The Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Profeco) had to put order in the distribution companies, where there have been long waiting lines.

However, last week at least two thefts of oxygen tanks were reported. Despite the presence of members of the National Guard, an armed group entered through the back door and assaulted the staff of Clinic 3 of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in the municipality of Navojoa, Sonora, and took seven tanks of medicinal oxygen, four full and three empty. In addition, a truck loaded with more than 40 tanks was stolen by two subjects in Coacalco, State of Mexico. It was recovered in the neighborhood of San Antonio Xahuento, Tultepec municipality, by elements of the National Guard, as well as state and municipal authorities. Both detainees, referred to the Public Ministry, wore a pre-release bracelet, after being interned in a prison in Ecatepec for the crime of vehicle theft.

The Federal Attorney for the Consumer, Ricardo Sheffield Padilla, said that the Infra and Praxair companies produce in the country enough medicinal oxygen to supply the national market. Until the second week of January, 16 small oxygen distributors in the country that have abused have been sanctioned with fines and in only one case, in Mexico City, a distributor closed because it was selling industrial and non-medicinal oxygen.

“We can say with all certainty that there is not and there will be no shortage of oxygen,” he said. The problem has been the distribution of intermediaries (both shortages and overpricing), companies that have committed fraud and even hoarding.

Dozens of people wait outside the Infra facilities to refill and change their oxygen tanks. Photo: Cuartoscuro.

Given the high demand, the increase in the price of medical oxygen was 4.5 percent during 2020, and in 2021 there was a second increase of 4.5 percent, which both oxygen-producing companies have implemented.

A medical oxygen refill costs from Tijuana to Mérida, for a 10,000-liter tank, 855 pesos, in the case of Infra; and the rent for that large tank, of the same capacity, is 595 pesos. A concentrator to produce oxygen at home is 27 thousand pesos. “The only ones that have gone overboard” are the Claro Shop, where it was found up to 85 thousand pesos.

Profeco, in collaboration with the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) and the companies that produce and distribute medicinal oxygen Grupo Infra and Medigas, called establishments and the population that rented oxygen tanks to return them to the distributors once they do not require them, in order to allow them to be used by other infected persons.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an exponential increase in the demand for oxygen tanks, while it has been detected that many people are conserving the tanks even if they no longer need them, as a forecast. However, this is depriving other patients who require it at the moment and cannot access one ”, explained Profeco.

Source: sinembargo.mx

Mexico Daily Post