Mexico: COVID-19 and the deadly virus of capitalism

In early June, the official numbers of those infected with Covid-19 had  exceeded 110,000 and 11,000 deaths had  been registered in Mexico. Other sources such as Mexicanos Primero (MP), the New York Times, SkyNews of the United Kingdom or El País of Spain, have uncovered significant underreporting of the number of patients, and they estimate that the deaths are much higher than the official numbers. MP is the bosses’ group that, allied with Televisa, promoted the educational reform that attacked the labor rights of thousands of teachers in the country. All their numbers are incorrect because all bosses, national or imperialist, treat workers as disposable.
What the government figures hide, is that the infections and deaths are a reflection of the inequality of the capitalist system and the contradictions between the working class and the capitalist class. The largest number of sick and dead are workers in the marginalized neighborhoods of big cities, workers in the maquilas and health workers, mainly in –Iztapalapa, Nezahualcóyotl, Mexicali and Tijuana–. That difference is a reflection that this criminal capitalist system cannot protect the health and life of the working class.
Mexico had enough time to prepare and acquire the necessary protective equipment and supplies to deal with the pandemic. For example, just a few weeks ago planes began arriving from China and the United States with tons of supplies. Meanwhile thousands of health workers became ill and hundreds died. But the health authorities and the government were not only irresponsible in not buying the equipment on time, but also in distributing it too late; Throughout the pandemic there have been constant protests by hospital staff demanding masks, gloves, and protective suits. Mexico has purchased more than $56 million in respirators, face masks, gowns, gloves, and more (Aristegui Noticias, 4/9). This was done to silence the protests of medical personnel who have had to work for decades in the precarious public health services.
The health system in Mexico is broken because the bosses and their government, in the last four decades, have prioritized the growth of private healthcare systems at the expense of public services. So now, there is a lack of doctors, nurses, clinics, and hospitals in public health institutions. The working conditions of health workers have also been under attack. Low wages and loss of rights like pensions and even the right to free medical services demonstrate this. Many doctors and nurses have to work in more than one public or private health institution to earn a living wage.
 The current government says it is transforming health services and the workers’ conditions in that sector. But the reality is different, as between a third and a quarter of the patients with Covid-19 are health workers. Hundreds have died due to the criminal negligence of the health authorities who have not provided them with the minimum equipment and means of protection to care for Covid-19 patients (Aristegui Noticias, 6/2). Furthermore, to meet the growing demand of coronavirus patients, they have to work longer and more strenuous days due to the lack of personnel.
The government has opted for political theatrics to deal with the pandemic, clad in pseudo-scientific language. Every night the epidemiologist responsible for the strategy reports  statistics on the number of sick and dead, on the prognosis of infections and the occupancy rate in hospitals that are increasingly less credible. This has increased the mistrust of many workers about the very existence of the virus and the danger it represents. This mistrust is natural towards a government that has always lied to benefit the capitalist class.
Members and friends of the Party have denounced the racist genocide represented by the inability and ineptitude of the Mexican government and of the capitalist system to deal with the pandemic. The ruling class has put its profits over the health and lives of the workers. Only a system led by the working class is capable of putting the interest of humanity above the profiteering interests of a minority. That is why we organize study groups with our base to clarify these ideas, stay united and prepare to support health workers. They are fighting for better working conditions which, in turn, will save workers’ lives.