MEXICO CITY, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mexico reported 6,717 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, taking the national count to 469,407 cases, the country's health ministry said on Friday.
Meanwhile, 794 additional deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 51,311.
A day earlier, the Latin American country recorded 6,590 new cases of COVID-19, with 819 fatalities.
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said Friday that "this is going to be a prolonged pandemic" as the virus spreads rapidly across the region.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Mexico has conducted more than 1 million COVID-19 tests. Health authorities have acknowledged that the real number of infections is likely higher.
Home to some 8 percent of the world's population, Latin America has strived to stem the spread of COVID-19 as its governments seek to ease lockdowns to revive the region's economy. Enditem
