The real number of deaths from Covid-19 in Mexico is now more than 321,000, 60% more than the official figures

The government of Mexico recognized today that the country’s real number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic now exceeds 321,000, almost 60% more than the official number confirmed by tests of 201,429.

Mexico performs few tests, and because hospitals were overwhelmed, many Mexicans died at home without getting tested. The only way to get a clear picture is to review “excess deaths” and review death certificates.

The government quietly released the report today, which found there were 294,287 Covid-19-related deaths from the start of the pandemic to February 14.

Since February 15 there have been 26,772 additional deaths confirmed by tests.

The higher figure would rival that of Brazil, which currently has the second highest death toll in the world after the United States. But Mexico’s population of 126 million is much smaller than any of those countries.

On Wednesday, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported daily deaths from Covid-19 in 2009, bringing the total of pandemics to 300,685.

The new report also confirms just how deadly Mexico’s second wave was in January. At the end of December, estimates of excess deaths suggested a total of around 220,000 Covid-19-related deaths in Mexico.

That number increased by around 75,000 in just a month and a half. Also suggestive was the total number of “excess deaths” since the pandemic began, about 417,000.

Excess deaths is determined by comparing deaths in a given year with those that would be expected based on data from previous years. A review of death certificates found that roughly 70.5 percent of excess deaths were related to Covid-19, often because it was listed on the certificates as a suspected or contributing cause of death. But some experts say that Covid-19 may have contributed to many of the other excess deaths because many people were unable to receive treatment for other illnesses because hospitals were overwhelmed.

Former President Felipe Calderón wrote today on his Twitter account that “more than 400,000 Mexicans have died, above the average of previous years … probably the highest number in the world.”