In a round-up of the coronavirus situation in Mexico, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell predicted that the World Health Organization will shortly announce the transition of Covid-19 from a pandemic to an endemic state.
“It is very likely that we will see summers of low Covid-19 transmission with higher numbers of infections in the autumn/winter,” he said.
López-Gatell announced several new moves on the part of the federal government, including the opening of registrations for Covid vaccinations for all children over 12. Previously, only children with underlying health conditions were eligible for shots. Prior registration is required on the website https://mivacuna.salud.gob.mx.
In addition, as of May 1, the federal government will scrap its twice monthly color-coded traffic light mechanism that determines what activities are safe to resume and/or with what restrictions on a state-by-state basis.
López-Gatell highlighted the continuing decrease in Covid infections, hospitalizations and deaths in Mexico, as well as the high vaccination rate, which has reached 90 percent in adults.
Throughout the pandemic, the federal government never issued a mandatory face mask directive, leaving such decisions to state governments. Acknowledging that some states are now relaxing these measures, López-Gatell said that from his perspective “at this time, the use of the face mask is no longer essential … although it can be useful in closed spaces.”