Mexico hopeful coronavirus cases have peaked

Low testing makes it harder to assess the situation, say experts

Mexico's government said Tuesday there were signs that the country's coronavirus outbreak has peaked, following more than half a million infections and 57,000 deaths.

The pandemic "is in a clear phase of decline" in the Latin American country, deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told reporters.

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"The number of daily cases and deaths is falling consistently in most areas," he added.

"The epidemic is still active, but it is in sustained decline."

Experts say that the low level of testing makes it hard to assess the situation in Mexico, which has the world's third-highest death toll from the virus.

"I'd like to think that it's true" that infections are declining, said Malaquias Lopez, an expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

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But an "artificial way" to reduce the number of cases would be to scale down testing.

"These are confirmed deaths in hospitals. Unconfirmed deaths may be occurring in homes," Lopez told AFP.

The government says the number of deaths relative to population size is a more accurate measure than the overall total.

When it comes to deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Mexico is in 13th place worldwide, based on official data.