Mexico reports uptick in COVID cases

Mexico was facing an increase in new coronavirus infections after relaxing lockdown measures, although vaccinations were helping to limit the number of deaths, the government said Tuesday.

There was a 22 percent jump in the estimated number of cases in the first half of June, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told reporters.

"We have a situation where there is a rebound, which is the third rebound of the epidemic," he said.

Deaths and hospitalizations, however, are not rising at the same pace, the country's coronavirus czar added.

"We managed to reduce mortality and severe cases because that's the main effect of the available vaccines," Lopez-Gatell said.

Mexico's official COVID-19 death toll of more than 233,000 is one of the highest in the world, and the actual figure is believed to be significantly worse.

New cases and fatalities have dropped sharply since a January peak that overwhelmed hospitals, and the authorities have eased pandemic-related restrictions.

The country of 126 million has given 32.6 million people at least one dose against the coronavirus.