Mexico surpasses Italy to become nation with fourth-most COVID-19 deaths

Mexico surpassed 35,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, overtaking Italy to become the nation with the fourth-most deaths from the virus.

Data reported by Mexico’s health ministry and obtained by Bloomberg News also indicated that the country is on the verge of passing 300,000 total confirmed infections of the disease, with 276 new deaths and 4,482 new cases reported Sunday.

The number of new cases is lower than the country’s record, which was set just days ago on July 9 when Mexican officials reported more than 7,000 new infections in one day. Total deaths in country have also surpassed some European nations hit hardest by the disease including France and Spain.

Mexico’s statistics remain far lower than its neighbor to the north, however, as the number of U.S. coronavirus cases has shot past 3 million and several states, including Florida, continue to set records for numbers of new cases per day. More than 134,000 Americans have died so far from the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S.-Mexico border was closed for most nonessential crossings in the spring due to concerns about the virus’s spread, and officials are currently seeking to extend that closure into August.