Mexico declares end of Covid-19 health emergency

MEXICO CITY – Mexico has declared an end to the Covid-19 health emergency in keeping with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, Prevention and Health Promotion Undersecretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said today.

“The decision was made given that the conditions WHO took into account to suspend the public health emergency of international concern have been met,” Lopez-Gatell said at a press conference, reported Xinhua.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed a decree that marked the end of the initial March 23, 2020 document declaring the start of the health emergency.

On May 5, WHO declared the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency due to a steady decline in cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.

According to Lopez-Gatell, 95% of Mexico’s population has the antibodies needed to repel the virus, providing the country with a “high level of immunity”.

In addition, the variants currently circulating have a “lower virulence” than previous ones, causing only mild illness, he said, adding that clinical treatment of patients has improved. – Bernama, May 10, 2023