by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Mexico’s Religious Affairs Unit has reported that 270 evangelical pastors have died of COVID-19 in the country, Evangelical Focus reports. Seventy-two Catholic priests, and 15 nuns have also died of the virus, the Unit reported. '
The Mexican health ministry on Sunday reported 1,578 new cases of coronavirus in the country, and 36 more deaths, bringing the official number of fatalities to 231,187. However, according to separate data published in March, the actual death count in Mexico is at least 60% above the confirmed figure, Reuters reports. Mexico has a population of nearly 129 million people.
The Religious Affairs Unit recorded that the death count among pastors represents 8.4% of the 3,200 registered evangelical ministers in the country, Evangelical Focus reports.
Pedro Antonio Mena, the head of the Religious Affairs Unit, said the pastors had died of the virus directly, or because of complications that arose from COVID-19 infection, including heart attacks and pneumonia.
Two of the most populated cities in Mexico, Toluca and Tlalnepantla de Baz, recorded the highest number of deaths among ministers and priests. As of Sunday, Mexico has had a total of 2,477,283 confirmed COVID-19 infections.