Mexican billionaire diagnosed with COVID-19

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO (AA) - Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, one of the world’s wealthiest men, tested positive for COVID-19 a little over a week ago but is responding well to treatment, his son announced late Monday.

Slim went to the National Nutrition Institute for "tests, monitoring and timely treatment," Carlos Slim Domit said on Twitter.

"He’s very well and has been making very good progress with COVID-19 after more than a week of mild symptoms,” he added.

Slim and his family control telecom giant America Movil, Latin America's biggest telecommunications company, and Telmex, Mexico's only phone company. He also has a myriad of projects that span from construction to mining and real estate as well as owning 17% of The New York Times.

Slim has channeled resources to fight the pandemic. By April 2020, the Slim Foundation and the Telmex Telcel Foundation provided 50% of the US$30 million invested in the construction of a temporary COVID-19 health unit in Mexico City.

At the beginning of January, the Slim Foundation and Mexico City's government announced that the unit would be expanded to attend to the surging number of cases in the country's capital, moving from 247 beds to 607.

Slim is the wealthiest man in Mexico and sits at No. 12 on the Forbes' Richest List with a net worth estimated at US$59 billion.