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COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials on Friday reported 1,127 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 39% fewer than the day before, bringing the statewide total so far just past half a million with 500,516; DOH has designated 376,960 of those cases as recovered.
Bernalillo County had 354 cases, followed by Sandoval County with 109 and San Juan County with 95. Santa Fe County had 80 new cases.
According to a revamped weekly vaccine report that now includes data on booster shots, between Feb. 1-7, 63.3% of COVID-19 cases were among people who had not completed a primary vaccination series; 28.7% were among those who had completed the series but had not received a booster; and 8% were among those who were fully vaccinated and boosted. As for hospitalizations, 81.3% were among those who did not start or complete a vaccination series; 16.4% were for those who had completed their primary series but were un-boosted; and 2.3% of hospitalizations were among people who were fully vaccinated and boosted. Those percentages shift to 88.5%, 10.9% and 0.7% for fatalities.
The state also reported 29 additional deaths on Friday, 22 of them recent, including a Santa Fe County female in her 70s who had underlying conditions. Of the seven deaths from more than 30 days ago, two came from Santa Fe County: a male in his 20s who had underlying conditions and a male in his 70s who had underlying conditions and had been hospitalized. Santa Fe County has now had 243 fatalities; there have been 6,658 statewide. Hospitalizations continue to decline: As of Friday, 498 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 6.7% fewer than the day before. DOH is expected to provide a three-day update on cases, hospitalizations and deaths later this afternoon.
Currently, 91.5% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 77.6% have completed their primary series. Among the same demographic, 43% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 70.5% of people have had at least one dose and 60.2% have completed their primary series. Among children ages 5-11, 37% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 26.6% have completed their primary series. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 86.5% have completed their primary series.
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. You can read the guidelines for quarantine and isolation here.
You can order free at-home COVID-19 tests here and find other testing options at findatestnm.org. New Mexicans living in ZIP codes disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for five free tests through Accesscovidtest.org. The health department is offering drive-through PCR testing through Feb. 21; to find an appointment (recommended only for people with symptoms), register here. You can self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department here.
The state also is encouraging people who test positive for COVID-19 to seek treatments, such as the oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); as well as monoclonal antibody treatment. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
US Sen. Luján says he’s on the “road to recovery”
US Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, will be heading to in-patient rehabilitation following a stroke and surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, and says he will be back on the floor of the US Senate in a few weeks. In a video posted yesterday, Luján thanked medical and hospital employees at both Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and University of New Mexico Health, where he’s currently being treated. “I’m doing well. I’m strong. I’m back on the road to recovery and I’m going to make a full recovery,” he said. Luján suffered a stroke on Jan. 28, which his office announced Feb. 1. Last week, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government issued a statement urging Luján’s office to issue more information about his condition, saying “the veil of privacy must be lifted so that New Mexicans know the state of Sen. Luján’s health and their representation within the Senate.”
In yesterday’s video, Dr. Michel Torbey, chairman of UNM’s Department of Neurology and medical director of its Comprehensive Stroke Center, confirmed Luján had suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, “the part of the brain that controls balance.” Luján initially sought care at Christus when he began experiencing dizziness and fatigue. Torbey noted he wanted to stress how pivotal it had been that Luján had acted promptly and sought medical care. “As the state’s first comprehensive stroke center, it is crucial for us to work and educate the community about the signs of stroke. Identifying those signs and acting on them quickly could save your life and the life of a loved one,” Torbey said. Upon arrival at UNM, Luján was transferred to the Neuro Critical Care Unit. Dr. Diana Greene-Chandos said additional testing then revealed a tear in Luján’s vertebral artery as the cause of the stroke. Once doctors determined medication would not be sufficient, de-compressive surgery was performed to relieve the pressure on Luján’s brain. “The surgery was successful and the brain swelling was contained,” Greene-Chandos said. “He did very well after his surgery and continues to make significant progress…throughout every stage of his treatment, Sen. Luján was actively participating in all decisions.” Luján stressed he will be present in the US Senate to vote on President Joe Biden’s US Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. “New Mexicans can know they will have a voice and a vote during this process,” Luján said. “That has never changed.”
NM to receive $38 mil for EV charging
As a result of the new federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, New Mexico will be receiving $38 million over the next five years to support the expansion of electric vehicle charging, and will also have opportunity to apply for $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced the funding formula for states last week, with Buttigieg noting the funding “will help us win the EV race by working with states, labor and the private sector to deploy a historic nationwide charging network that will make EV charging accessible for more Americans.” In announcing New Mexico’s share, US Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, co-founder of the Electrification Caucus and member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the “historic investment to build out the first-ever nationwide charging network will accelerate the adoption of EVs to address the climate crisis, and help drivers save money.” Heinrich also noted a new toolkit released by the Biden administration, “Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure,” would bring “rural New Mexico communities to the table so that they too can reap the job and economic opportunities from the new EV charging network.”
Senate passes expanded scholarship program
The state Senate yesterday approved expansion of New Mexico’s so-called Opportunity Scholarship. Senate Bill 140 aims to expand coverage of scholarships to older or non-traditional students by not requiring students to be full-time—they must be taking at least six credit hours—and also covering some certificate programs in fields with high workforce demand. “Senate Bill 140 builds on New Mexico’s legacy of creating the most accessible tuition-free higher education scholarship program,” co-sponsor state Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, said in a statement. “This great investment in our state’s future will give people from all walks of life equal access to earn professional certificates, associate and bachelor degrees—building up our workforce while improving lives.” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who named expansion of the scholarship program a priority for the session, also issued a statement, saying with its passage New Mexico “will continue to lead the nation in providing the opportunity for anyone who wishes to pursue a higher education to do so.” The House would still need to pass SB140 prior to the end of the session at noon on Thursday in order for it to become law.
Listen up
Hearts and flowers are all fine and well, but perhaps you’d like to delve deeper this Valentine’s Day. If so, be sure to check out the locally produced Shadow of Love podcast, described succinctly as “a modern conversation on love in the age of Tinder.” The show, hosted by Holly and Ernest, airs the second and fourth Tuesday of each month; the most recent episode unpacks the challenges of keeping the flame lit as a “couple;” the three “Rs” of coupling; and other dyad-related topics.
Let the healing begin
Travel & Leisure’s “10 Healing Spots Around the World” offers several far-flung exotic loci for healthful restoration, such as Israel’s Dead Sea (where black mud will help one’s psoriasis) and Yakushima Island in Japan (for general medicinal “forest bathing”). Taos County also makes the cut, specifically Ojo Caliente, ostensibly “the only hot springs in the world with four different types of sulfur-free mineral waters.” Those types, iron, arsenic, soda and lithium, treat as follows: “The iron-based spring is supposedly beneficial for immune health, and the arsenic spring is recommended for those who are searching for arthritis and ulcer pain relief. Hop into the rock-enclosed soda pool if you’re hoping to calm your frazzled mind, or the lithium-rich pool for potential help with digestion and depression.” And, within driving distance, one can also visit El Santuario de Chimayo, “lauded for its so-called ‘holy dirt,’ located in a round well within a small room, with salubrious effects in every drop.” FWIW, you can also acquire the holy dirt online; it’s free but a $5 contribution is requested to help with shipping costs. You can read more about the holy dirt, including the best way to use it (for instance: You don’t want to eat or drink the holy dirt) here.
Hatching new recipes
What happens when a Midwest chef and food writer relocates to Southern New Mexico? You guessed it: She starts cooking with chile. Such was the case for Maggie Hennessy, who writes of her adventures with New Mexico’s favorite crop in an essay for Salon: “My pasta, myself: Forging a home in New Mexico through Hatch green chile pasta.” Disoriented from her big move from Chicago, Hennessy craved her comfort food, pasta, and also could not escape the ubiquity of green chile, as she had moved just 40 miles from Hatch: “This single ingredient and the representative local dishes it permeates seem to encapsulate this place—its complicated history; enduring pre-colonial ingredients; and harsh, gorgeous landscapes set beneath vast cerulean skies— like wine to terroir.” Hennessy purchased her first 10-pound bag of frozen roasted Hatch chiles, she writes, and “homesickness gnawed as I stared down the formidable sack of orange and green peppers thawing in my fridge.” From there, she decided to incorporate the chiles into her go-to pasta dish. Hennessy includes a recipe (it’s kind of a non-recipe recipe but it sounds good), and concludes: “When all’s said and done, I sit down to the first thing I’ve made that’s mine and honors the place I now live. Suddenly, everything feels a little more within reach. I can do this. One day—one meal—at a time.”
Catch the sun
Faux spring continues today with sunny skies, a high temperature near 53 degrees and north wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. The National Weather Service forecasts our next chance for snow on Wednesday morning.
Thanks for reading! The Word wishes you all a happy Valentine’s Day filled with formulas that produce algebraic surfaces shaped like hearts.
