Gov. Lujan Grisham Tests Positive for COVID-19

CDC’s most recent data shows sharp decline of COVID-19 in NM counties based on reported cases

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday morning, according to a news statement from her office. She is currently isolating at the governor’s residence and will continue her official schedule remotely.

“I am very grateful to be experiencing only mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated and twice boosted against COVID-19,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Per medical guidance, I have also started a course of the antiviral Paxlovid. I am thankful for the support of my family and staff and will continue my work on behalf of New Mexicans while working remotely. I encourage all New Mexicans who have yet to be vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 to do so—you can schedule shots at cv.nmhealth.org.”

This is the first time the governor has tested positive COVID-19, her office says, and last tested negative on Aug. 24. “Following standard protocol, all those defined as close contacts have been notified,” the news release notes.

The governor’s positive test results follow a health department news conference earlier this month in which officials reported a plateau in cases and a decline in serious illness. Yesterday, DOH reported 596 new reported cases; however, figures do not include non-reported home tests. Thus far, New Mexico has 608,006 total reported cases since the pandemic began in March 2020.

According to the state health department’s most recent report on geographical trends for the seven-day period of Aug. 15-21, Santa Fe County’s case rate continues to decline and was at 20.5 compared to 26.3 the prior week. The state recorded 3,839 cases statewide—based on reported cases—over the seven-day period, a nearly 15% decrease from the previous week.

Later today, the CDC is expected to update its seven-day map on US “community levels,” a framework that combines case rates with hospital metrics. Last week’s update showed a sharp decline of New Mexico communities with high or “red” levels, decreasing from 11 to four. Santa Fe is one of 13 counties with green or low levels and only four—down from 11 last week—have “red” or high levels. The community levels site has accompanying recommendations at the bottom of the page. The CDC also provides a quarantine and isolation calculator.

The most recent health department report on hospitalizations also shows a decrease in both hospitalizations and patients requiring ventilators. Yesterday, DOH reported 138 people hospitalized statewide with COVID-19, 12 of whom were on ventilators. The state also reported eight new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 8,386. Santa Fe County has had 338 total deaths.

Resources: Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; New Curative testing site: 9 am to 5 pm, Monday-Friday, Santa Fe Technology Department, 2516 Cerrillos Road; COVID-19 treatment info: oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); and monoclonal antibody treatments. Toolkit for immunocompromised individuals. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. Vaccines for children: Parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years can now schedule appointments for vaccinations at VaccineNM.org.