Mexico has been criticised for its lack of testing, leaving officials without information about the illness’s spread. Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, who’s leading the country’s response on the virus, has acknowledged that while actual cases are much higher than official counts, the health ministry’s testing strategy is effective in tracking outbreaks.

As Mexico increasingly becomes a hotspot, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has largely focused on reactivating the economy over enacting strict lockdowns. He’s also downplayed the importance of using masks to slow the virus’s spread. In remarks July 25, he acknowledged the pandemic has hit the country hard and led to many deaths. He attributed the toll to the prevalence of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Even so, the president maintained the spread of the virus is slowing.

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“There are signs coronavirus infections are decreasing and fortunately, even though there have been deaths and it’s something that’s very painful, no one in Mexico has been left without medical attention,” Lopez Obrador said. “Hospitals haven’t been saturated because we’re alert. We’re addressing the problem in a timely and responsible way.”