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. 2020 Nov;220(8):463-471.
doi: 10.1016/j.rce.2020.05.007. Epub 2020 May 27.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Mexico: from the 27th of February to the 30th of April 2020

[Article in English, Spanish]
V Suárez  1 , M Suarez Quezada  2 , S Oros Ruiz  3 , E Ronquillo De Jesús  4
Affiliations

Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Mexico: from the 27th of February to the 30th of April 2020

[Article in English, Spanish]
V Suárez et al. Rev Clin Esp (Barc). 2020 Nov.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Background: The first case of COVID-19 detected in Mexico was on the 27th of February 2020. On the 30th of April, 64 days after this first diagnosis, the number of patients had increased exponentially, reaching 19 224 confirmed cases and 1859 (9.67%) deaths. In response to this global outbreak, we summarize the current state of our understanding regarding COVID-19 in Mexico.

Methods: We obtained the data from the official website of the Ministry of Health in Mexico. The study period was between the 27th of February and the 30th of April 2020. The cases were confirmed using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and we analysed epidemiological, demographic and clinical data.

Results: In Mexico, most cases of COVID-19 were located in Mexico City. The mean age of the patients was 46 years. Of the 12 656 confirmed cases, most infected individuals were between the ages of 30 and 59 years (65.85%), and there was a higher incidence rate in men (58.18%) than in women (41.82%). The patients who died had one or more comorbidities, mainly hypertension (45.53%), diabetes (39.39%) and obesity (30.4%). In the first 64 days of the epidemic, China had reported 80 304 cases with a mortality rate of 3.66%.

Conclusions: Our results indicate an early transmission of COVID-19 in Mexico. The descriptive epidemiology shows similarities between the cases of COVID-19 in Mexico and those in China. In the same period of the epidemic curve, we observed a reduction in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mexico and a higher mortality rate compared with that of China.

Antecedentes: El primer caso de COVID-19 se detectó en México el 27 de febrero de 2020. El 30 de abril, 64 días después de este primer diagnóstico, el número de pacientes aumentó exponencialmente, alcanzando un total de 19.224 casos confirmados y 1.859 (9,67%) fallecidos. En respuesta a este brote global, resumimos el estado actual del conocimiento sobre COVID-19 en México.

Métodos: Los datos se obtuvieron del sitio web oficial del Ministerio de Salud en México. El período analizado fue entre el 27 de febrero y el 30 de abril de 2020. Los casos se confirmaron mediante RT-PCR en tiempo real y se analizaron los datos epidemiológicos, demográficos y clínicos.

Resultados: La mayoría de los casos de COVID-19 se ubicaron en la Ciudad de México. La edad promedio de los pacientes fue de 46 años. De los 12.656 casos confirmados, el mayor número de infectados ocurre en el rango de edad entre 30 y 59 años (65,85%), y hubo una mayor incidencia en hombres (58,18%) que en mujeres (41,82%). Los pacientes fallecidos tenían una o múltiples comorbilidades, principalmente hipertensión (45,53%), diabetes (39,39%) y obesidad (30,4%). En los primeros 64 días de epidemia, China había reportado 80.304 casos con una tasa de mortalidad del 3,66%.

Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados indican la transmisión temprana de COVID-19 en México. La epidemiología descriptiva muestra las similitudes entre los casos de COVID-19 de México y China. En el mismo período de la curva epidémica, observamos en México una reducción en el número de casos confirmados de COVID-19 y una mayor tasa de mortalidad en comparación con China.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Cuarentena; Infección; Infection; Mexico; México; Quarantine; SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of symptom onset for patients with confirmed COVID-19 through laboratory testing: imported cases (orange), imported contact cases (grey), local contact cases (yellow). The line in the figure shows the cumulative cases of COVID-19 between the 17th of February and the 30th of April 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution by age and sex of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in Mexico by state.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of deaths by COVID-19 in Mexico by state.
Figure 5
Figure 5
a) Age and sex distribution of deaths by COVID-19 in Mexico. b) Comorbidities presented in the individuals who died due to COVID-19 in Mexico. Abbreviations: AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Is nutrition the forgotten risk factor in COVID-19 infection?
    Carretero Gómez J, Miramontes González JP, Dueñas Gutiérrez C, Arévalo Lorido JC. Carretero Gómez J, et al. Rev Clin Esp (Barc). 2021 May;221(5):311-312. doi: 10.1016/j.rceng.2020.12.002. Epub 2021 Feb 18. Rev Clin Esp (Barc). 2021. PMID: 33998521 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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