Deaths in Mexico from the coronavirus pandemic have crossed 35,000, with the Latin American country overtaking Italy for the world’s fourth-highest total deaths.

Mexico on Sunday recorded 276 additional deaths and 4,482 new infections to bring its coronavirus death toll to 35,006, with 299,750 confirmed cases, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

It trails the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom in total deaths caused by COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

This past week saw a record daily numbers of new infections in the country, but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he was optimistic and blamed what he called “conservative media” for causing alarm.

“The bottom line is that the pandemic is on the downside, that it is losing intensity,” Lopez Obrador said on Sunday after being briefed on the situation. 

The government has faced criticism for reopening the economy too soon and the number of cases is expected to rise in the coming days as restrictions affecting small businesses and restaurants are relaxed.

Source:aljazeera.com