The Mexican government confirmed five hospital patients nationwide have the coronavirus while another 21, including two in Yucatan, have mild symptoms that are potential cases.
The flu victims, whose symptoms only resemble the coronavirus or COVID-19, are being monitored, tested and kept away from the public, said state health authorities.
In Yucatan, if any patients exhibit severe symptoms, they will be treated in third-level federal hospitals, in compliance with federal regulations: The Hospital Regional High Specialty of the Yucatan Peninsula (HAREPY), the High Specialty Medical Unit (UMAE) of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Regional Hospital of the Institute of Social Security and Services of State Workers (Issste). O’Horán Hospital is a level-two facility and not qualified to admit COVID-19 patients.
The health ministry stated worldwide statistics showing 90% of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have presented mild symptoms, while the remaining 10% have serious symptoms.
The confirmed cases are in Coahuila, Chiapas, and Sinaloa. There are also two people with coronavirus in Mexico City. All of the people are in isolation and receiving treatment.
The people with coronavirus in Coahuila and Chiapas had been studying abroad in Italy, where there is a coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Health also said in the report that about 60 people have been tested for coronavirus but received negative results.
Because of this, the Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell said Mexicans should not panic if they start to feel coronavirus symptoms.
“If right now someone has these symptoms, it’s most likely that it’s because of the flu and not because of the coronavirus,” he said.
The government is recommending that people regularly wash their hands, avoid touching their faces, and cough and sneeze into a tissue or the corner of their arms.
Over the weekend, Ecuador’s government also announced six cases of coronavirus.
