Mexico recorded more than 30,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a record since the start of the pandemic, leading some Mexican states to close schools again.
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In the last 24 hours, 30,671 new cases were recorded, for a total of 4,113,789.
The previous daily record of 28,023 cases was dated August 18, 2021, according to the health ministry. The deaths, however, remained stable at 202 during the day.
The 300,000 death mark from COVID-19 was crossed on Friday in Mexico, the fifth most affected country in absolute terms in the world, behind the United States, Brazil, India and Russia.
Experts stress that the contagion of COVID-19 in Mexico would be much higher than the data reported by the authorities, due to the few tests carried out.
Faced with the inability to meet the demand for tests, the Secretary of Health of Mexico City has asked all those who show symptoms to consider themselves as carriers of the virus and therefore to isolate themselves and not surrender in hospital only if their condition deteriorates.
The Omicron variant, which was first detected on Dec. 3, has become the dominant variant in the country, health officials say, multiplying infections after several weeks of declining numbers.
Air travel was still affected on Saturday after at least 87 pilots tested positive for COVID-19, which forced the cancellation or postponement of around 100 flights since Thursday, mainly at the airport in the capital city.
The left-wing government has recognized the rebound in the pandemic, but refuses to suspend activities as hospitalizations and deaths have been brought under control.
However, at least 14 states have decided to close schools again, which reopened at the end of August last year.