MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild.
The Mexican president, who has been criticized for his treatment of his country’s pandemic, said on his official Twitter account that he is in medical treatment.
“I’m sorry to inform you that I am infected with COVID-19,” he tweeted. “The symptoms are mild, but I am already under medical treatment. As always, I am optimistic. We will all move forward. “
López Obrador, 67, has long been criticized for not giving an example of prevention in public. He has rarely been seen wearing a mask and has continued to keep a busy travel schedule by taking commercial flights.
He has resisted blocking the economy, noting the devastating effect it would have on so many Mexicans living day to day.
At the beginning of the pandemic, when asked how he protected Mexico, López Obrador took two religious amulets out of his wallet and proudly displayed them.
“The protective shield is the‘ Turn me back, Satan, ’” Lopez Obrador said, reading the amulet’s inscription, “Stop, enemy, because the Heart of Jesus is with me.
His announcement came shortly after news broke that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday about obtaining doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
Mexico’s Secretary of State Marcelo Ebrard said via Twitter that the two leaders would talk about the bilateral relationship and the supply of doses of the vaccine.
The vaccine has not been approved for use in Mexico, but the government is desperate to fill supply gaps for the Pfizer vaccine. Mexico has administered more than 618,000 doses of vaccine.
Mexico has recorded nearly 150,000 deaths from COVID-19 and more than 1.7 million infections. Hospitals in the capital have been close to capacity for weeks, as the number of cases increased after the holiday season.