Merida, Yucatan — A four-day string of fatalities was broken today when Yucatan’s health authorities announced no new coronavirus-related deaths.
But nine new COVID-19 patients were announced, bringing the total to 117 since the crisis began. One patient is the first to have come from Tizimín, the mayor of that city announced, indicating the spread of the disease outside urban areas.
Another new case was reported inside the prison system, when a 60-year-old inmate tested positive. His symptoms are mild and he has been placed in isolation.
Another 98 potential cases are still under study to see if their symptoms are from coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.
Twenty current patients are in stable condition with mild symptoms and isolated in their homes. Another 21 are hospitalized and are in total isolation, not counting the Yucatecan woman who traveled here after being diagnosed in Canada. The rest have recovered from the virus.
Yucatan has registered eight deaths from coronavirus, two of them foreigners allowed in from a stranded cruise ship. At least one of the passengers, who is British, is recovering while being quarantined in a Merida hotel room.
A COVID-19 hotline is at 800-YUCATÁN (800-982-2826) for residents worried they or a loved one are infected. Press 9 for an English-speaking agent. A free chat with a bot via WhatsApp is available at the number 999-200-8489 in Spanish and 999-140-6622 in the Mayan language.
{ Related: See past stories on the coronavirus response }
