Morning-Word-Covid
COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 632 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 252,017. DOH has designated 222,391 of those cases as recovered.
Bernalillo County had 167 new cases, followed by Lea County with 62 and San Juan County with 58. Santa Fe County had 20 new cases.
The state also announced 12 additional deaths, 10 of them recent; there have now been 4,788 fatalities. As of yesterday, 287 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Currently, 79.9% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 70.5% are fully vaccinated. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 63.8% people have had at least one dose and 54.3% are fully inoculated. In Santa Fe County, among those 18 years and older, 90.9% have had at least one dose and 80.9% are fully vaccinated.
During a weekly briefing yesterday, health officials reported that 88% of the state’s hospital employees are now fully vaccinated, 4% are partially vaccinated, 7% have an approved exemption and 1% remain unvaccinated (with approximately 90% of facilities reporting). The report follows a public health order enacted in August requiring vaccination for hospital employees. Several other large institutions have also instituted vaccine mandates for their employees, such as Los Alamos National Laboratory; three dozen employees recently filed a lawsuit challenging the lab’s mandate. The University of New Mexico, as of last night, was racing against a midnight deadline to contact remaining students, faculty and staff who have yet to submit proof of vaccination; unvaccinated students face potential dis-enrollment, while employees could lose their jobs, officials said.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
NM cases, hospitalizations decline, transmission still high
Most of New Mexico’s counties continue to have high rates of COVID-19 transmission, even as daily cases decline. Santa Fe County, which had reduced its transmission to the “substantial” category last week returned to red, or high, this week, according to the health department’s most recent report on community transmission. DOH officials provided a mix of optimism and foreboding during yesterday’s weekly COVID-19 briefing. On the bright side, cases continue to decline both in New Mexico and nationwide. “I am happy to report that, but I think it’s also important to acknowledge that we may be far from done with this surge given that we’re headed into the winter season,” state Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross said. Hospitalizations also appear to be lightening. “The light at the end of the tunnel, I hope is not an oncoming train,” Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said regarding the latter. The state ranks among the nation’s best in terms of the confluence of high vaccine rates and low percentage of hospitalization, although the state’s hospitals remain very full. While DOH remains focused on continued vaccination, it has begun rolling out booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine to the first set of eligible residents, and will open them to the second group on Oct. 11. Officials continue to emphasize both the vaccine and post-infection monoclonal antibody treatments, and delivered a report yesterday on rising use of the drug ivermectin, typically used to treat parasitic infections and unproven to help with COVID-19. In New Mexico, two people hospitalized for ivermectin toxicity ultimately died of COVID-19, Scrase said.
Santa Fe readies for cannabis
The Santa Fe City Council late last night passed Santa Fe’s cannabis zoning ordinance, setting up the regulatory framework for the new recreational cannabis industry. Santa Fe will require 300 feet between cannabis businesses and schools; 400 feet between individual businesses; and, in city officials’ attempt at equity, allow microbusinesses—producers with 200 mature plants or fewer—in more zones than larger producers. Passage of the ordinance clears the path for prospective producers in Santa Fe to obtain state licensure, applications for which the state Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Control Division began accepting on Aug. 25. After the Legislature passed the state’s recreational cannabis act in March, a city subcommittee spent several months examining potential regulations and held two public meetings, according to Land Use Planning Manager Noah Berke, at which it received only two public comments. Santa Fe County passed its zoning ordinance on July 30. Thus far, the state has 59 producer license applications in progress from Santa Fe County and another three completed.
FAA clears Virgin Galactic to resume flights
The Federal Aviation Administration yesterday cleared Virgin Galactic to begin flights again, closing its mishap investigation of the July 11 Virgin Galactic Unity 22 launch. According to a statement from the FAA, “a mishap investigation is designed to determine the root cause of the event and identify changes the operator must implement to avoid a recurrence of the event.” In the case of Virgin Galactic, “the investigation found the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle deviated from its assigned airspace on its descent from space. The FAA also found Virgin Galactic failed to communicate the deviation to the FAA as required. Virgin Galactic was not allowed to conduct flight operations as the investigation was ongoing.” As a result, the FAA required the company “to implement changes on how it communicates to the FAA during flight operations to keep the public safe.” Having done so, Virgin Galactic is no longer grounded. “Our entire approach to spaceflight is guided by a fundamental commitment to safety at every level, including our spaceflight system and our test flight program,” Virgin CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement. “We appreciate the FAA’s thorough review of this inquiry. Our test flight program is specifically designed to continually improve our processes and procedures. The updates to our airspace and real-time mission notification protocols will strengthen our preparations as we move closer to the commercial launch of our spaceflight experience.” The company’s next test flight, Unity23, will be its first commercial research mission, and the earliest it will take place is mid-October.
Listen up
Did you know it’s almost Croptober? We did not, either. But, apparently, that’s October’s nickname for those in the know when it comes to growing cannabis. On the most recent episode of the Growing Forward podcast, New Mexico in Focus Correspondent Gwyneth Doland talks with food historian, novelist and Fiery Foods Show creator Dave DeWitt about growing medical cannabis. Hosts Andy Lyman and Megan Kamerick also talk with one business about the challenges they’ve faced in securing their production license from the Cannabis Control Division in advance of the April 1 kickoff for sales.
Santa Fe on a budget
We could not resist reading a Lonely Planet story titled “Santa Fe for free,” which advises ways to experience the state’s capital without spending any money. Many of these take place on or near the Plaza and include the summer concert series, which AMP Concerts produced last summer, a chance, Lonely Planet says, to “join visitors and locals of every age in the heart of Santa Fe to dance like nobody’s watching” (that is a fairly accurate description). Then there’s also the Cross of the Martyrs (graffiti notwithstanding); a trip to St. Francis Cathedral; and browsing for art under the portal. Presuming one can spring for a little gas, Lonely Planet also recommends window shopping at Jackalope; hiking in the Santa Fe National Forest; and the pièce de résistance: taking a tour at the Santa Fe Spirits distillery. Regarding the latter: “The tour is free but ends in the tasting room, where you can participate in a paid-for guided tasting session of the distillery’s products.” (We’ve done this; it’s fun). All in all, a reasonable roundup for a thrifty visit to Santa Fe, some of which, indeed “will allow you to see the city like a local,” although we are unlikely to ever refer to Santa Fe as “the Fe.” Editor’s note: SFR unfortunately perpetuated an error from Lonely Planet: Santa Fe Spirits’ distillery tours are not free)
Pandemic love
Santa Fe-based writer Meaghen Brown pens a recent “Modern Love” column for the New York Times, which tells the tale of how she came to be cohabitated here: love + the COVID-19 pandemic. The story’s title, “Remote Work Gave Us a Life Together. Now What?” describes how her relationship, which initially formed in Santa Fe when both she and Matt worked as editors at the same magazine, became long distance when she left Santa Fe for a job in Ventura, California. “It was a good opportunity, but it didn’t make sense for Matt to leave his job to come with me, or for me to pass it up and stay,” she writes. “We were in our late 20s by then, trying to figure out our lives and work and relationships, a process made more difficult by high costs of living and careers in an industry that often felt like it was fading before our eyes.” When the pandemic shut down her office in California, Brown returned to Santa Fe, where “Amid the mask mandates and choropleth hospitalization maps, we settled into something we’d never had: a life together.” What happens next? Spoiler alert: No one knows. But, as Brown writes: “Nobody wants this pandemic to go on. The suffering and losses have been incalculable. And yet this strange set of circumstances has also allowed us to start our life together.”
Here comes the rain again
The National Weather Service promises precipitation today (at least that’s our interpretation of a 100% chance for rain). Specifically, look for scattered showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon with a high near 65 degrees and north wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Thanks for reading! The Word grew a little weary waiting for this year’s 2021 Ocean Photography Awards to load on Oceanographic Magazine’s website, but it’s worth it (you can see them in smaller versions via Smithsonian magazine if you just can’t wait).
