Mexico's Covid death toll increases by more than 50% to 321,000 after government revises figures
Mexico's Covid-19 death toll has increased to more than 321,000 after the government revised its figures - revealing it's 60% higher than previously reported.
The previous figure, which was officially confirmed as 201,429, had been undercounted due to the country's limited capacity for coronavirus testing and a significant number of deaths at home as hospitals were overwhelmed.
The revised toll places Mexico with the second highest number of Covid-related deaths in the world, after the US.
The government said the only way to develop a clear picture of the real impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was to review excess deaths and death certificates.
The new report also confirms just how deadly Mexico's second wave in January was.
As of the end of December, excess death estimates suggested a total of about 220,000 deaths related to Covid-19 in Mexico. That number jumped by around 75,000 in just a month and a half.
Also suggestive in the government report were the overall number of "excess deaths" since the pandemic began, around 417,000.
Excess deaths are determined by comparing the deaths in a given year to those that would be expected based on data from previous years.
A review of death certificates found around 70.5% of the excess deaths were Covid-19 related, often because it was listed on the certificates as a suspected or contributing cause of death.
But some experts have said Covid-19 may have contributed to many of the other excess deaths because many people couldn't get treatment for other diseases because hospitals were overwhelmed.
Former President Felipe Calderón tweeted on Saturday: "More than 400,000 Mexicans have died, above the average for previous years... probably the highest figure in the world."