Mexico City’s new interactive map shows number of COVID-19 cases by neighborhood

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum recently presented a neighborhood map that shows coronavirus cases in Mexico City.

She said that the number of COVID-19 cases has decreased in the Iztapalapa borough whereas Xochimilco, Tlalpan, and Milpa Alta have registered a spike in infections.

Claudia Sheinbaum stressed the population must be “supportive” so the publication of the neighborhood map aims for people and businesses in those areas to be careful and follow health measures.

The map is available online.

Moreover, Mexico City’s subway director, Florencia Serrania, reported that 18 workers have died.

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She announced 1 million face shields will be given away at the Metro but urged the population to wear face masks and face shields to mitigate the spread of the new virus.

Mexico City’s actions against COVID-19

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mexico City’s government has launched different measures to fight the new virus that has infected almost 12 million people all over the world.

As of July 7, Mexico registered 268,008 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 32,014 deaths. To date, Mexico City has 53,423 confirmed coronavirus cases and 5,931 deaths.

Last month, Mexico City’s government announced it would launch an aggressive mass testing campaign to detect COVID-19 cases and prevent further infections among the population.

The local government aims to reach 100,000 tests per month by July as the federal government will stick by its policy of administering very few tests during the coronavirus pandemic.

Claudia Sheinbaum said testing will be paired with an intensive information campaign and an attempt at contact tracing.

The sprawling city of 9 million people, with an equal number or more in the suburbs, has confirmed more than 53,000 infections and more than 5,900 deaths, both considered to be undercounted because of limited testing. With 100,000 tests per month, the city could be able to test one in every 14 residents by the end of the year.

Moreover, Mexico City’s government, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the UNAM’s School of Medicine, and the “Salvador Zubirán” National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition are training general practitioners working pharmacies to standardize medical care for the new disease.

“From the learning derived from the pandemic, we seek to generate the same care, for there to be the same detection of the symptoms, the same kind of care, and, in case they have to go to the hospital, resort to triage as soon as possible so that they can be treated by a doctor at another level,” said Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.

Therefore, first contact general practitioners at pharmacies will be trained because they are the ones who are closest to the population and they are the first place where patients go; they need to know how to recognize the symptoms and decide whether patients need to resort to triage or not.

The project aims to train 600 doctors working at pharmacies in the city although the number could rise for there are over 11,000 pharmacies in Mexico City.

Therefore, first contact general practitioners at pharmacies will be trained because they are the ones who are closest to the population and they are the first place where patients go; they need to know how to recognize the symptoms and decide whether patients need to resort to triage or not.

In addition, doctor’s offices at pharmacies could have oximeters to channel people with COVID-19, but it will not be a test performed to all patients; hence, Mexico City’s government called doctors working at pharmacies to be trained, said Oliva López Arellano.

“The objective is to train physicians and for them to have oximeters, but also to be able to identify the saturation of oxygen, the heart and breathing rates, and to able to identify silent hypoxia.”

Likewise, she stressed that, along with Mexico City’s government, they pretend to include kits with oximeters for people with comorbidities, in addition to instructions to do proper measures. Moreover, she asserted the government is purchasing more equipment for doctors at Health Centers so that they can have oximeters.

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