Mexican Government Blames High Coronavirus Mortality Rate on Obesity

One of Mexico’s top health officials is drawing harsh criticism after saying the high rate of Coronavirus fatalities is largely thanks to poor eating habits and obesity. The country now ranks fifth in the world for deaths.

Mexico’s Undersecretary of Health Hugo Lopez Gatell recently took to social media to lash out at the public and various food companies for poor eating habits, which account for more than half of local Coronavirus fatalities. Lopez Gatell previously said that diabetes, obesity, and other health problems place patients at a higher risk. According to the health official, a large portion of Mexicans are overweight.

La mitad de la mortalidad en México está relacionada con enfermedades asociadas a la mala alimentación. Todas y todos, incluso las empresas que se han enriquecido por la venta de productos dañinos para la población, debemos reflexionar sobre nuestro modelo de vida y consumo. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/9Oe6UW81Es

— Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez (@HLGatell) July 5, 2020

Mexico is currently reporting 256,848 confirmed cases and 30,639 fatalities. The figures show an approximate 11.9 percent fatality rate, much higher than other nations sitting closer to 3 percent. The United States is currently showing a downward trend near 5.9 percent.

Al 5 de julio de 2020 hay 256,848 casos positivos y 71,305 sospechosos de #COVID19. Se han registrado 155,604 personas recuperadas, 312,989 casos negativos, 30,639 defunciones confirmadas y fueron estudiadas 641,142 personas. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BcjAPp5vny

— Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez (@HLGatell) July 6, 2020

The statements by Gatell earned harsh criticism on social media, arguing he was making excuses for a lack of preparation. Mexico did not confirm its first case until late February, giving the nation almost a month to prepare, compared to others.

¿Ahora le van a echar la culpa del mal manejo de la pandemia a las empresas que venden alimentos? Eso es no tener madre. ¡Háganse responsables de sus actos por una méndiga vez en el gobierno! No estamos jugando, es la vida de la ciudadanía, coño.

— Hada Liz Fernández (@HadaFeminista) July 5, 2020

Lopez Gatell was also criticized by a Harvard epidemiologist for performing a comparably smaller number of tests.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.