Mexico is likely to surpass 300,000 deaths from Covid-19 this week — the fifth highest death toll worldwide — as infections rise after the holiday season, fuelled by the Omicron coronavirus variant and largely unrestricted tourism.

Infections have more than doubled to 20,000 during the last week when many tourists visited Mexico from the United States and Canada. Eleven of Mexico's 32 states decided not to resume in-person school classes this week with cases climbing fast.

The arrival of the highly contagious Omicron variant reversed a downturn in infections during the autumn when the widespread application of vaccines provided relief.

Read more from Reuters here.

A medical staff member checks symptoms of a coronavirus patient in the emergency room at Metropolitano Hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, January 6. — Reuters
A medical staff member checks symptoms of a coronavirus patient in the emergency room at Metropolitano Hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, January 6. — Reuters

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