COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 153 additional positive tests for COVID-19, bringing the state total to 2,974. San Juan, Bernalillo and McKinley counties accounted for the most new cases: 45, 44 and 43, respectively. Four new cases were reported for Santa Fe County.
The state also announced six new deaths related to the disease, also in San Juan, Bernalillo and McKinley counties, all of whom had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions. The number of deaths of New Mexico residents related to COVID-19 is now 110. As of yesterday, 157 people were hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. The health department has designated 705 COVID-19 cases as recovered. SFR also spoke with Human Services Secretary David Scrase about new antibody tests entering the market, which Scrase (and others) caution are not yet reliable nor approved by the Federal Drug Administration.
You can read all of SFR's COVID-19 coverage here. If you've had experiences with testing or the virus, we would like to hear from you.
CDC awards $6.6 mil to NM for COVID-19 efforts
New Mexico's congressional delegation announced yesterday the state will receive more than $6.6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct more COVID-19 testing and contact tracing through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Currently, the state has 64 testing sites spread across all 33 counties and nearly 100 health workers who have spoken with more than 150,000 people as part of the state's contact tracing efforts.
Public health officials across the country agree increased testing and contact tracing will be crucial factors in re-opening portions of the economy, a point US Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM, made in a news release announcing the funds.
"We cannot rebuild our economy or return to normal life safely without drastically expanded testing and contact tracing across the country," Udall said, noting that while New Mexico "has been out in front on testing," the Trump administration's "lack of organization, coordination, and execution" is "unacceptable."
House Republicans want some counties open
Yesterday, all 24 of New Mexico's Republican state House members signed a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham urging her to lift restrictions in some counties, citing inequity for small businesses versus chains, high unemployment, increasing domestic violence and "snowballing suicide, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse" as a result of the emergency public health orders. Protecting public health, the letter reads, "while allowing small businesses to begin reopening should be based on what makes sense in each community." Governor spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett says the state's data does not support opening any areas of New Mexico at present and points out "the virus does not recognize county lines. The fight against COVID-19 is the same in every part of the state, whether there are three positive cases in a certain community or 300. Three cases becomes 300 very quickly."
Lawmakers differ on session
New Mexico House lawmakers are leaning toward changing its rules to allow for a virtual meeting for an upcoming special session tentatively scheduled for June to address the state's budget woes. But Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth says that chamber's members are still planning to meet in person, distanced, possibly wearing masks and possibly pre-tested for COVID-19. Meanwhile the governor's office expects bans on large gatherings to continue, which would preclude meeting in person. However the Legislature meets, it will do so without Finance and Administration Secretary Olivia Padilla-Jackson, who is leaving her position at the end of May; State Budget Director Debbie Romero will become acting secretary in June, according to the governor's office.
Meanwhile in Grants…
State Attorney General Hector Balderas sent Grants Mayor Martin "Modey" Hicks a letter ordering him to "immediately cease and desist any violation of or interference" with the state's emergency health order. Hicks defied the order and has told local businesses to re-open. Hicks also fired his city manager, Laura Merrick Jaramillo, yesterday. Jaramillo's friends and family say she was fired for resisting Hicks' order to reopen the city golf course. Hicks denies that was the reason, but would not comment on why he had dismissed Jaramillo.
Listen up
In Episode 52 of "Your New Mexico Government" health care workers discuss life on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests include: University of New Mexico Hospital Emergency Department trauma tech Tessa Jenner; UNMH pediatric infectious disease specialist Walter Dehority; and Dr. Sriram Shamasunder, who arrived in the Navajo Nation last week with a team of nurses and doctors from the UCSF's HEAL Initiative. "Your New Mexico Government" is a collaboration between SFR, KUNM and New Mexico PBS.
Supercomputing students honored online
New Mexico students competing in this year's Supercomputing Challenge did not let a global pandemic and stay-at-home orders thwart their scientific endeavors. The year-long project for elementary, middle and high school students culminated yesterday in a Zoom award ceremony for winners of the 30th annual competition. First place went to a team from New Mexico School for the Arts, whose project modeled forest fire risks in the Santa Fe National Forest. Lillian Petersen, a senior from Los Alamos High School, took second with her project on "Activity-By-Contact Model to Predict Enhancer-Gene Connections: A Tool to Increase our Understanding of Cancer" and third place went to a team from Socorro High, whose project focused on Computerized Officer Operations Placement.
Online with Egolf
Speaker of the House Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, will be discussing and taking questions on the state's COVID-19 response today at a 3 pm online town hall. He will be joined by Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Richard Larson of UNM's Health Sciences Center, House Health Committee Chairwoman Debbie Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, and New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Russell Toal. To reserve a spot at the online town hall, answer a few questions here.
Going nowhere slowly
The driver of a stolen Bobcat tractor led Santa Fe Police on a very slow chase sometime earlier this month, according to police lapel video. Police say the tractor was stolen from a construction site on Rufina Street and, once spotted, refused to pull over. The driver, in fact, headed into a field, abandoned the Bobcat, ran away and was not, it turns out, found.
Warm and windy
Today's forecast portends a sunny day, with a high near 74 degrees and southeast winds 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. The rest of the week, temps will be in the 80s, which seems hot for April and, in fact, is hot for April.
Thanks for reading! The Word has watched the video for Pixel the orangutang's 7th birthday party in quarantine at the Albuquerque BioPark approximately 47 times.
