Yucatán’s coronavirus infections leaped to 201, echoing the height of the pandemic in July and August.
In their daily briefing, state health officials confirmed a steady rise in cases since Tuesday, when 60 new cases were detected. Thursday’s new cases were the most since Sept. 13 when they totaled 212.
Increased deaths followed, with nine men and four women between 45 and 95 losing their battle with COVID-19. Daily deaths were as low as five on Monday.
Public hospitalizations grew by one to reach 199 while current patients under home quarantine totaled 707, up by six over the day before. Another 181 people recovered.
Since March 2020, 28,915 people have been infected with coronavirus in Yucatán and 24,941 patients have recovered, or 86%.
New cases included 162 in Mérida, 10 in Progreso, five in Valladolid, four in Motul, three in Kanasín, two in Chichimilá, Maxcanú and Umán, and one from outside the area, as well as from Baca, Cacalchén, Muxupip, Peto, Sucilá, Teabo, Ticul, Timucuy and Tizimín.
Eight of the deaths were Mérida residents, another two were from Umán. One each was from Progreso and Tekax and Tizimín. To date, 3,068 people have died in Yucatán from the coronavirus.
The spike reflected a national trend as Mexico set new records for both cases and deaths.
Data also showed that infections among adults, mostly women, between 20 and 39 have driven the country’s high case numbers since November.
The federal Health Ministry reported 22,339 new cases to reach 1.71 million, and 1,803 deaths for a total of 146,174 since the crisis began.
El Universal cited the proclivity of young adults to continue reporting to work and gathering with friends, particularly over the holidays, as the major factor.
“The population got fed up with confinement, young people even more so – not adolescents who wanted to go out but rather young adults who attended friends’ parties, who went out to do pre-Christmas shopping,” said Malaquías López, a public health professor at the National Autonomous University. “Unfortunately, the majority of this population didn’t just get the virus but took it home. And those who have paid the consequences are the elderly.”
