Mexico Now Has Third Highest Death Toll
HOLMES: Now see these packed beaches in Belgium, looking like a normal summer day, not a day in the middle of a deadly pandemic. But a government spokesperson says the coronavirus cases in the country have increased by 91 percent in the last few days. Hospitalizations rising, too. You look at that and you go, well. Belgium's prime minister is now mandating face masks in outdoor markets and busy shopping areas. There are similar patterns happening in the United Kingdom. New coronavirus infections there have jumped to 4,900 a day, compared to 2,000 at the end of June. But that has not stopped thousands of people from filling parks and public spaces, during what has been a mini heat wave. Their joy may be short lived. Britain's prime minister says he is going to stop easing lockdown restrictions for the next two weeks.</s>BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Our plan to reopen the society and the economy is conditional, that it relies on continued progress against the virus and we would not hesitate to put the brakes on if required. With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze that brake pedal, squeeze that brake pedal, in order to keep the virus under control.</s>HOLMES: According to Johns Hopkins University, the United Kingdom is facing the highest case fatality ratio among the 20 countries most currently affected by the coronavirus.</s>HOLMES: In other words, the percentage of people who die among the confirmed cases, it stands at just over 15 percent, followed by Mexico, Ecuador and Iran. By this measure, the United States ranks 13th globally at 3.4 percent. Speaking of Mexico, they just passed the U.K.'s coronavirus death toll, with more than 46,000 deaths. Mexico now has the third highest death toll in the world. There are a number of reasons why the virus is killing more people there. Matt Rivers explains.</s>MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maria Isabel Cruz Hernandez was struggling to breathe back in May when her son first called the ambulance. We watched the 72 year old diabetic get wheeled out and brought to the hospital. And a week later, she would become one of the more than 46,000 Mexicans that have died from COVID-19. It is a staggering death toll, that is now third highest in the world behind only the U.S. and Brazil. And compared to the rest of the world, Mexico's mortality rate, the percentage of people who contracted COVID and died, is nearly triple the global average. Asked to explain that, Mexican health officials consistently point to one thing: chronic diseases are the fundamental reason why COVID-19 is more intense in Mexico, says the deputy health minister. The government says nearly three-quarters of those of who have died of the virus in Mexico have had a pre-existing condition.</s>DR. VANESSA FUCHS TARLOVSKY, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS SPECIALIST: The reality that we are seeing in Mexico, it's because Mexican population has a lot of problems with obesity, with diabetes, with hypertension.</s>RIVERS (voice-over): But COVID-19's lethality here can't be explained only by chronic illness. This chart shows countries with similar rates of diabetes. Mexico's mortality rate is the highest by far. And among countries with similarly sized populations, Mexico's death toll soars above the rest. By focusing on the impact of chronic disease, critics say the government is conveniently shifting blame away from another key factor: its own inaction.</s>DR. FRANCISCO MORENO SANCHEZ, ABC MEDICAL CENTER: This is just bad government.</s>RIVERS (voice-over): Dr. Francisco Moreno Sanchez runs the COVID response unit at a private Mexico City hospital and says the government simply was not ready for the pandemic. He argues that a lack of quality care across Mexico's sprawling government run public health system has resulted in many lives lost, be it from a lack of supplies or a lack of properly trained staff.</s>SANCHEZ: This is a very complicated machine. We need very good care intensive care doctors to take care of the patients.</s>RIVERS (voice-over): And that blame, he says, lies squarely at the feet of the government that, in some cases, still isn't taking the right steps to mitigate this crisis, a government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who recently said this when asked why he doesn't wear a mask. He says, "If it would help others, I would do it. But it is not scientifically proven."</s>RIVERS: So that is the leader of more than 120 million Mexicans, saying masks do not work, which is just fundamentally false. The government constantly defends its response to the coronavirus, saying there is adequate care in public hospitals like this one. But whether you believe that or not, the numbers don't lie. Mexico's death toll is among the highest in the world and it just keeps getting worse -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.</s>HOLMES: We will take a quick break, when we come back, Americans have just lost their extra federal jobless benefits. Those who were out of work, what now? We will have a look at the state of the stimulus negotiations and the economy. Stay with us, we will be right back.