Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged this Saturday that Mexico has been severely affected by the coronavirus, but reiterated that the recovery from the pandemic will begin in August.

“It hit us more than in other countries, it is a matter of analysis and reflection, many Mexicans have lost their lives because they suffered from chronic diseases. We have a lot of patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity,” said the president.

Mexico reported 737 new deaths related to the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 42,645, double the number it had just over a month ago, according to figures released by health authorities.

The outbreak, which has generated a sharp economic recession on a global scale, also left 378,285 known infected in Mexico, 7,573 more than the day before.

Despite the seriousness of the figures, which place Mexico as the fourth country with the most deaths from coronavirus in the world, the speed of deaths and infections has been slowing down since May, when they doubled every 15 days.