Mexico Covid deaths 35% more than reported: statistics agency

MEXICO CITY: Mexico recorded more than 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus in 2020 -- 35 percent more than originally reported by the government, the national statistics institute said Thursday.

According to preliminary figures based on administrative records, 201,163 deaths from Covid-19 were registered in Mexico last year, INEGI president Julio Santaella said on Twitter.

That compares with the health ministry's figure of 148,629, he noted.

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The country of 126 million people now has a coronavirus death toll of around 240,000, according to the health ministry -- the fourth highest in the world.

Testing in Mexico remains very limited, and government officials have previously acknowledged the real toll is likely higher.

While the health ministry figures are based on deaths in hospitals, the statistics agency uses a different methodology and includes fatalities elsewhere.

Many Covid-19 patients are believed to have died at home and not been officially counted.

The coronavirus was the second top cause of death in 2020, behind heart disease, according to INEGI.

In the case of men, Covid-19 was the main cause.

The country is now in the midst of a third wave of infections that has hit unvaccinated younger Mexicans in particular, although deaths and hospitalizations remain far below a January peak.