Mexico City, Sep 11, 2020, SPA -- The confirmed coronavirus death toll in Mexico is primed to hit 70,000 when official data is released today, on Friday, a grim milestone for a country among those most affected by the pandemic, Reuters reported. The spread of the virus has ravaged an already the country's economy, which is now seen contracting by up to 13% this year, the deepest recession since the 1930s-era Great Depression. On Thursday, the health ministry announced that 652,364 infections and 69,649 deaths have been attributed to the strain of the coronavirus that was first detected late last year in China. Based on official data, Mexico is the nation with the fourth highest number of deaths globally, and the 13th highest on a per capita basis, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Brazil remains No. 1 in Latin America, the region with the most infections globally, for both confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. It has posted a total of 4.2 million infections and more than 128,000 deaths so far. In a sliver of good news, the rate of new cases in Peru, Colombia and Mexico has fallen slightly in recent weeks. Overall, more than 900,000 people have died worldwide from the pandemic, with the deadliest outbreaks in the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico. --SPA 22:15 LOCAL TIME 19:15 GMT 0019 www.spa.gov.sa/w1409132