MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico City’s government will speed up COVID-19 vaccinations to its more than 9 million inhabitants starting next week as infections and hospitalizations have risen significantly, mostly among younger people, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday.
The number of people in Mexico City hospitalized with COVID-19 rose by 650 from last week to 1,871. Infections are hitting 18- to 39-year-olds, many of them unvaccinated, the hardest, according the mayor’s office.
“This increase we’re seeing in hospitalizations, the only way to reduce it is getting vaccinated and being mindful of sanitary measures,” said Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum gave the green light for all residents over 30 years of age to get vaccinated anywhere in the city as of Tuesday.
“Go get vaccinated … getting vaccinated is fundamental so you don’t get the disease,” Sheinbaum said.
Some 63% of Mexico City residents have received at least one vaccine dose and 38.5% have had the two doses, as Sheinbaum’s government aims to have at least one dose given to 74% of residents and to have 41% fully vaccinated by July 26.
Several days this week, Mexico posted its biggest daily increases in new COVID-19 infections since February, as a fresh wave of contagion threatened to undermine the government’s efforts.
As of Thursday, Mexico has registered 2,629,648 total infections and 235,740 deaths since the pandemic began. The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll could be 60% higher than the official count.
Despite the new surge, Sheinbaum said Mexico City was not planning to re-impose confinement measures or suspend activities.
“We’re not aiming to reduce any activities: social, economic or cultural … The goal is to vaccinate,” said Sheinbaum.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Additional reporting by Noe Torres; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
