On Wednesday, August 18, Mexico reported 28,953 Covid-19 cases, a record number in a single day, as the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic appeared to be showing no signs of abating.
The same day, the Mexican Health Ministry revealed that the number of Covid-related deaths had crossed the quarter million mark, rising by a further 940 to 250,469 – the fourth highest total in the world.
The average daily fatality rate over the past seven days is 644, the highest figure since March 9, and similar to numbers reported during the pandemic’s first wave in 2020.
The federal health agency also reported that ICUs throughout the country are 48 percent full.
Despite the high figures, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said a gradual decline in the rate that cases are increasing suggests the third wave is beginning to show early signs of a slowdown.
As of August 19, 55,643,238 people over 18 years of age in Mexico have had at least one dose of Covid vaccine, representing 62 percent of the total. Slightly more than 30 million — 23.6 percent of Mexico’s population — have completed the full vaccine program.