Mexico reports surge in coronavirus cases after Christmas period

"We're starting to see a reflection of what we lived in the past weeks," Cortes said during a press conference. The real number of infected people and deaths in Mexico is likely significantly higher than the official count, the health ministry has said.

Mexico saw one of the biggest daily rises in coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said, as gatherings during the Christmas period likely fuelled a surge in infections.

The ministry reported 13,345 new confirmed cases and 1,165 deaths on Wednesday. That brought the country's total number of infections to 1,479,835 and its overall death toll to 129,987. The latest case and death tallies were the highest recorded in one day, barring a one-off spike in October which the government said was due to methodological changes.

Ricardo Cortes, a health ministry official, said the fresh surge was likely linked to Mexicans attending Christmas celebrations, adding that the virus is more likely to spread when many people meet in closed spaces without ventilation. "We're starting to see a reflection of what we lived in the past weeks," Cortes said during a press conference.

The real number of infected people and deaths in Mexico is likely significantly higher than the official count, the health ministry has said.