Mexico's President confirms diagnosis of Coronavirus.

 

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Amlo) has confirmed that he has been diagnosis of Coronavirus infection. AP. Obrador has said his symptoms are mild but that he is also under medical treatment. Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero will take over for Obrador for his daily press conferences. Obrador is notable for not locking down Mexico and continuing to travel during the pandemic. Critics note that he has also only occasionally worn a facemask. Obrador did not skip in line for the vaccine despite being 67 and having some health issues such as high blood pressure and having heart surgery after a heart attack. 

My Comment:

Amlo joins the long list of world leaders to contract Coronavirus. As far as I am aware none have died so far. Still, given the potential for tragedy here I thought it was important to cover this story. Mexico is an important neighbor and their President has been someone proven to work well with America. 

I am somewhat more concerned with Obrador's health. Unlike most of the world leaders who have gotten sick, Obrador is both older and has some health problems. One or the other would not be a big deal but having both is not great. However, most people in their 60's are fine even when they have some medical problems. It's not like Obrador was on deaths door or something. 

Indeed, I don't expect Obrador to even be come severely ill. Most people who get Covid only have minor symptoms and the Coronavirus seems to be a lot less deadly then it was during the Wuhan days. More people are dying now but that's becuase the disease is so widespread. I still say the virus is a lot less deadly than it once was. 

Despite being a leftist, I do have a certain amount of respect for Obrador, or Almo as his fans call him. He's a patriot and he has helped Americans control the immigration problem. Notably he had a good relationship with President Trump and even delayed calling Joe Biden to congratulate him after he stole the election. I sincerely hope that Obrador recovers. 

As for Mexico itself, the country has had a hard time of it. They chose their economy over lockdowns and it has paid dividends for their economy. But it has resulted in a large pandemic that is largely out of control. 

Complicating things is that Mexico hasn't had much luck in getting vaccines. They have given out around 600,000 which is a drop in the bucket for a country as large as Mexico. It sounds like they are trying to get ahold of Russia's Sputnik vaccine but time will tell how that goes.