Coronavirus News
Scourge Leaves Mexico Short of Death Certificates…
CUAUTITLÁN, Mexico—Mexico is running out of death certificates due to the high death toll brought by the coronavirus pandemic and federal bureaucratic snafus, authorities say, delaying burials. The higher-than-normal deaths have caused a shortage of certificates in working-class communities of the country’s most populated state, the State of Mexico, as well as in Mexico City…
CUAUTITLÁN, Mexico—Mexico is running out of death certificates due to the high death toll brought by the coronavirus pandemic and federal bureaucratic snafus, authorities say, delaying burials.
The higher-than-normal deaths have caused a shortage of certificates in working-class communities of the country’s most populated state, the State of Mexico, as well as in Mexico City and Baja California state, said Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, who leads the government’s pandemic response.
The shortage reflects the depth of the pandemic in Mexico. The country ranks fourth in the world in Covid-19 deaths at more than 66,000, after the U.S., Brazil and India. Both the government and health experts say the real toll is likely far higher but is obscured by limited testing.
The lack of death certificates hampers the work of funeral homes and doctors and fuels anxiety among families unable to hold funeral services for relatives without the document.
“I receive calls from doctors almost daily asking me to help them to get more death certificates,” said Carlos Aranza, the State of Mexico’s coordinator of health services. “We are going through a period of great scarcity.”
Subscribe to the newsletter news
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe
