Mexican president says he’s beaten Covid

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he had overcome the coronavirus as he resumed his daily news conference after more than two weeks in isolation.

“I thank all Mexicans, men and women, who worried about my illness because of my Covid infection. Fortunately, I got through it,” said the 67-year-old, who as usual wore no mask.

“We are back on our feet and fighting,” he told reporters gathered at the National Palace.

The left-wing populist, who has a history of heart problems and hypertension, announced on January 24 that he was undergoing treatment for the coronavirus.

Last Thursday Lopez Obrador said that he had tested negative for Covid-19 and was awaiting the results of further testing to confirm he no longer had the virus.

According to the government’s brief updates on his condition, he had experienced brief episodes of low-grade fever and a slight headache.

The Mexican leader has been criticized for refusing to wear a mask except on rare occasions and accused by critics of downplaying the risks of the virus early in the pandemic.

Mexico has officially registered around 1.9 million coronavirus cases and more than 166,000 deaths, one of the world’s highest fatality tolls.