Fuerza Migrante’s Health Committee celebrated its first virtual forum to discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on the Mexican and other Latino migrant communities in the U.S.

The conversation attended to, amongst other issues, the basics of how people get COVID-19 and what can be done to prevent it. Other topics included myths, reality, mental health; how does these communities living in the United States are experiencing the pandemic? and the critical importance of using sports to convey the messages of prevention.

During the virtual forum it was repeatedly highlighted that the best way to prevent COVID-19 from spreading is by instrumenting the compulsory use of a mask that covers both the mouth and the nose of the individual. Those participating from the public mentioned the importance of individual care by all of us, to strike the right balance between our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional state.

A number of participants mentioned that avoiding alarmist information and using only official sources to get updated, is another way to act responsibly.

Panelists underscore Fuerza Migrante’s key binational platform as a place to exchange information and advice, and the relevance of keeping our communities informed about how to best prevent contagion and the best ways to face the pandemic as a binational society.

Experts agreed on the fact that while no vaccine or effective treatment is available, closed environments should be avoided and exercise must only be done in open spaces.

Fuerza Migrante’s president, Jaime Lucero, stressed the importance of having high level experts on health issues to better inform migrant communities of the realities and the evolution of the pandemic.  

Panelists in the forum included internist and academic at the Univeristy of Guanajuato, Alejandro Macías Hernández, who also specializes in infectious diseases

Dr. Macías is also a member of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine and former comissioner for influenza.

Dr. José Manuel Ramos, academic at Guadalajara University with a Ph.D. in Political Sciences. He is also an education psychologist and has an MBA on Industrial Relations with a major on Organizational Development.

Dr. Armando Pérez, who is the president of Fuerza Migrante’s Health Committee. General Surgeon (UNAM) and specialist in family and community medicine with special emphasis on health management. He is currently equipment coordination at the COVID unit in the Mexican Institute of Social Security, or IMSS by its Spanish acronym.

Daniel Aceves Villagrán, olympic medalist and 3-time winner of Mexico’s coveted National Sports Award. He is currently the president of the association of Mexican Olympic Medalists.

The virtual discussion was moderated by Dr. Martha Esquivel de Zamora, general coordinator of Fuerza Migrante’s Health Committee.