artdirector@sfreporter.com
COVID-19
New Mexico’s health department today delivered the state’s first COVID-19 for 2022: 7,313 for the four-day period of Dec. 31 through Jan. 3, bringing the total number thus far to 357,480; DOH designated 311,304 of them as recovered.
Bernalillo County had 2,469 new cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 950 and Santa Fe County with 690. Of Santa Fe County’s new cases, approximately 35% were in the 87507 ZIP code, which ranked fourth in the state for the most new cases among ZIP codes.
Katy Diffendorfer, the health department’s health equity communications manager, said via email “it seems reasonable to associate the higher case counts with the holidays, traveling, and the colder weather driving people indoors,” and also expected that the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible, will become the dominant variant in the state. As of last week’s Variants of Concern report, the state had sequenced four cases with the Omicron variant. A new report is expected tomorrow.
The state’s seven-day test positivity rate also rose sharply from 11.9% to 17.9%; the state target is 7.5%. SFR has a pending question to the health department regarding the impact of the scarcity of tests on the statewide test positivity rate.
DOH also reported 11 additional deaths, nine from more than 30 days ago, including one from Santa Fe County: a male in his 90s from who had been hospitalized. The state reports COVID-related deaths when a death certificate has been issued, and some death certificates are delayed due to insufficient information. Santa Fe County has now had 205 deaths; there have been 5,866 statewide.
As of today, 472 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 42 fewer than last Thursday.
According to the most recent DOH vaccination case report from Dec. 27, over the last four weeks, 75.7% of COVID-19 cases have been among those who are not vaccinated, as have 83.4% of hospitalizations and 87.5% of deaths. A breakdown of breakthrough cases (infections among those who are vaccinated) per 100,000 since Feb. 1 shows the highest rate among people who are 25 to 39 years old, followed by those who are 40 to 49 years old.
Currently, 89% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75.9% are fully vaccinated. Among that demographic, 35.7% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 66.9% of people have had at least one dose and 57.3% are fully inoculated. Among children ages 5-11, 28.5% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 17.3% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 85.7% are fully vaccinated.
The Food and Drug Administration today amended the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include booster shots for people 12 through 15 years of age; shortened the time between the completion of primary vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and a booster dose to at least five months; and allowed for a third primary series dose for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will need to approve those changes, which could happen as early as mid-week (at which point New Mexico’s Medical Advisory Team would then review and, presumably, approve here).
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster here and view a public calendar for vaccine availability here. Parents can add dependents to their vaccine profiles here.
New cases
- 2,469 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 10 new cases in Catron County
- 281 new cases in Chaves County
- 49 new cases in Cibola County
- 32 new cases in Colfax County
- 131 new cases in Curry County
- 9 new cases in De Baca County
- 950 new cases in Doña Ana County
- 100 new cases in Eddy County
- 131 new cases in Grant County
- 1 new case in Guadalupe County
- 18 new cases in Hidalgo County
- 213 new cases in Lea County
- 71 new cases in Lincoln County
- 92 new cases in Los Alamos County
- 60 new cases in Luna County
- 195 new cases in McKinley County
- 13 new cases in Mora County
- 154 new cases in Otero County
- 11 new cases in Quay County
- 168 new cases in Rio Arriba County
- 29 new cases in Roosevelt County
- 510 new cases in Sandoval County
- 281 new cases in San Juan County
- 87 new cases in San Miguel County
- 690 new cases in Santa Fe County
- 25 new cases in Sierra County
- 37 new cases in Socorro County
- 87 new cases in Taos County
- 32 new cases in Torrance County
- 10 new cases in Union County
- 335 new cases in Valencia County
- 29 new cases among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Processing Center
- 2 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County
- 1 new case among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County
New fatalities
- A female in her 70s from Doña Ana County who was a resident of the Blue Horizon Assisted Living Facility
- A male in his 30s from Valencia County who was hospitalized
New fatalities more than 30 days old
- A male in his 50s from Bernalillo County who had been hospitalized
- A male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who had been hospitalized
- A female in her 80s from Bernalillo County who had underlying conditions and had been a resident of the Princeton Place facility in Albuquerque
- A female in her 90s from Bernalillo County who had underlying conditions
- A male in his 70s from Eddy County who had been hospitalized
- A female in her 70s from Rio Arriba County who had been hospitalized
- A male in his 90s from Santa Fe County who had been hospitalized
- A male in his 70s from Valencia County who had been hospitalized
- A female in her 70s from Valencia County who had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions
Congregate facilities
The Department of Health has identified at least one positive COVID-19 case in residents and/or staff in the past 28 days at the following facilities:
- Advanced Health Care in Albuquerque
- American Heritage Home in Albuquerque
- Aspen Ridge Lodge Retirement in Los Alamos
- Artesia Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Artesia
- Atria Vista Del Rio in Albuquerque
- Bear Canyon Rehabilitation Center in Albuquerque
- BeeHive Homes Alamogordo
- BeeHive Homes in Clovis
- BeeHive Homes Edgewood facility
- BeeHive Homes in Roswell
- BeeHive Homes San Pedro in Albuquerque
- Blue Horizon Assisted Living In Las Cruces
- The Bridge of Farmington in Farmington
- Brookdale Valencia in Albuquerque
- Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center in Alamogordo
- Casa de Carino in Albuquerque
- Casa del Sol Center in Las Cruces
- Casa de Oro in Las Cruces
- Casa de Palomas in Albuquerque\
- Casa Maria Health Care Center in Roswell
- Casa Sandia in Albuquerque
- Clayton Nursing and Rehabilitation in Clayton
- Clovis Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Clovis
- Desert Peaks Assisting Living and Memory Care in Las Cruces
- Fort Bayard Medical Center in Santa Clara
- Genesis Healthcare Uptown in Albuquerque
- Genesis McKinley Care Center in Gallup
- Genesis San Juan Center in Farmington
- Good Life Senior Living and Memory Care in Los Lunas
- Good Samaritan Society Las Cruces
- Good Samaritan Society – Manzano del Sol Village in Albuquerque
- Haciendas of Grace Village in Las Cruces
- Lakeview Christian Home in Carlsbad
- Las Cruces Post Acute and Rehabilitation Center of Cascadia (Welbrook Senior Living)
- Las Palomas Center in Albuquerque
- Life Care Farmington
- Little Sisters of the Poor in Gallup
- The Meadows Home at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas
- Mimbres Memorial Nursing Home in Deming
- Mission Arch Center in Roswell
- Odelia Healthcare (Camino Healthcare) in Albuquerque
- Princeton Place in Albuquerque
- The Rehabilitation Center of Albuquerque
- Retirement Ranches in Clovis
- The Rio at Las Estancias in Albuquerque
- Sandia View Cottonwood Assisted Living in Albuquerque
- Santa Clara Assisted Living in Santa Clara
- Sombrillo Nursing Home in Los Alamos
- Spanish Trails Rehabilitation Suites in Albuquerque
- Sugar Hollow Assisted Living Community in Albuquerque
- The Suites at Rio Vista in Rio Rancho
- Sunset Villa Care Center in Roswell
- Sunshine Assisted Living in Tucumcari
- The Village at Alameda in Albuquerque
- Village at Northrise - Morningside in Las Cruces
- The Woodmark at Uptown in Albuquerque
- White Sands Healthcare in Hobbs
Statewide cases
County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.
- Bernalillo County: 101,180
- Catron County: 299
- Chaves County: 15,694
- Cibola County: 4,497
- Colfax County: 1,763
- Curry County: 9,129
- De Baca County: 409
- Doña Ana County: 41,760
- Eddy County: 12,711
- Grant County: 4,500
- Guadalupe County: 707
- Harding County: 58
- Hidalgo County: 726
- Lea County: 15,076
- Lincoln County: 3,786
- Los Alamos County: 1,126
- Luna County: 4,967
- McKinley County: 17,732
- Mora County: 485
- Otero County: 9,298
- Quay County: 1,590
- Rio Arriba County: 6,499
- Roosevelt County: 3,538
- Sandoval County: 21,701
- San Juan County: 28,697
- San Miguel County: 3,517
- Santa Fe County: 17,612
- Sierra County: 1,518
- Socorro County: 2,598
- Taos County: 3,375
- Torrance County: 1,936
- Union County: 544
- Valencia County: 13,033
Cases among people being held by federal agencies
- Cibola County Correctional Center: 455
- Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 584
- Otero County Processing Center: 689
- Torrance County Detention Facility: 357
Cases among people being held by the New Mexico Department of Corrections
- Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 391
- Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 258
- Lea County Correctional Facility: 765
- Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 214
- Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 131
- Otero County Prison Facility: 543
- Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 233
- Roswell Correctional Center: 230
- Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 239
- Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 245
- Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 85
*Per the health department, hospitalization figures include people who were tested elsewhere but are hospitalized in New Mexico, but don’t include people who were tested here but are hospitalized out of state.
