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COVID-19: The President’s cabinet could be at risk

Off the Record features fact-checked news written by journalists and contributors to EL UNIVERSAL

The President’s cabinet pictured in 2018 - Photo: File Photo/EL UNIVERSAL
19/03/2020 |11:40
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COVID-19: The President’s cabinet could be at risk

We’ve been to consider the fact that the majority of President López Obrador ’s cabinet members are seniors and at higher risk of being infected with COVID-19. Besides the President himself, another 9 cabinet members and other 5 officials are at risk, since they are between 60 and 84. Although no one questions their abilities , expertise , and resistance to stress , the government should take certain measures to protect them, especially since not all of them have the same “moral force” as the President.

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Morena vs. PAN and PRI

COVID-19

has brought a complicated atmosphere at the Senate since Morena and the opposition have completely different views: halting work at the Senate. We’ve been told that Morena, led by Ricardo Monreal, consider that it’s not good that PAN and PRI leaders didn’t attend yesterday’s session, where they could have pushed for a measure to cancel sessions. Some Morena members said that “if they’re so worried about not going to work, why didn’t they attend yesterday.”

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Will there be enough ventilators?

When Germán Martínez was the IMSS director, he learned how the national health system works, therefore, some of the commentaries he made to journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva were interesting. Germán Martínez said that there is no possibility to purchase mechanical ventilators for those who will be affected by COVID-19 because currently, there is no supply. The former IMSS director said that certain hospitals should only treat COVID-19 patients. We’ve been told that in the case of mechanical ventilators, there’s not much left to do but in the case of hospitals, senators should raise their voices and be heard by the government.

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Mexico goes into panic buying

We’ve been told that in private and in silence, national institutes and hospitals are afraid of the next COVID-19 phase, as they lack equipment , supplies , and medicines . We’ve been told that they have requested the urgent purchase of these articles but as in the case of ventilators, these are out of stock. Moreover, after the delay in the purchase of medicines will be an issue since one of the main suppliers, China , went through a crisis. In the face of this scenario, the lack of planning could spark a more serious shortage than what health authorities told the President.

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