The Wall Street Journal: Mexico’s president says he’s tested positive for COVID-19

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he tested positive for COVID-10. López Obrador said that his symptoms are mild and that he’s receiving medical treatment.

López Obrador, 67, has continued traveling around the country and attending public events even after a second wave of coronavirus infections hit the country over the past month. Mexico has suffered close to 150,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

“As always, I’m optimistic,” he said in a tweet. “We’ll all get through this.”

López Obrador said that he still intends to hold a telephone call Monday morning with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss Mexico’s possible acquisition of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines.

López Obrador said he’ll be keeping an eye on government matters from the National Palace in Mexico City, where he lives and conducts most of his duties. Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero will preside over his morning news conferences in the meantime. Mexico doesn’t have a vice president who would formally take over duties if the president falls ill.

López Obrador has sometimes played down the pandemic. Last year, he continued to hold rallies and hug supporters as COVID spread across the country. But he eventually began following the advice of Hugo López-Gatell, the top health official in charge of Mexico’s response to the pandemic.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

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January 25, 2021 at 02:09PM

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