Mexico’s president tests positive for COVID-19 for second time

Mexico’s president announced Monday on Twitter that has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he has mild symptoms and will work from home while he recovers from the infection.

“Even though the symptoms are light, I will remain isolated and only work from the office and hold on-line meetings until further notice,” López Obrador said. “In the meantime, Interior Secretary Adán Augusto López Hernández will take over for me at press conferences and other events.”

López Obrador was previously infected with the virus and recovered at the beginning of 2021.

His infection comes as Mexico is dealing with a surge in cases, recording a 186 percent spike last week and surpassing 300,000 deaths, The Associated Press reported.

In response, Moderna has donated 2.7 million coronavirus vaccine doses to help get more individuals in Mexico vaccinated.

López Obrador called the omicron variant, which is responsible for the spike in cases around the world, “little COVID,” noting the variant has led to more cases but less hospitalizations and deaths than previous strains, according to the AP.

He also encouraged citizens to just stay home if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 as testing has been scarce and there have been long lines to get them in the country.