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New Mexico continues to see decreasing COVID-19 cases, while hitting 70% of residents 18 years older becoming fully vaccinated. “That’s an incredible milestone,” Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Laura Parajón said during a weekly pandemic update.
Currently, 79.5% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 63.3% people have had at least one dose and 53.3% are fully inoculated. In Santa Fe County, among those 18 years and older, 90.5% have had at least one dose and 80.4% are fully vaccinated.
Santa Fe County also improved its standing for community transmission, which, though described as substantial in the state’s weekly report on community transmission—as indicated by the orange below—is no longer in the red or high category of most of the state’s other counties.
“It’s a welcome sight,” state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross said regarding Santa Fe County’s improvement. “What we are hoping to see is the entire state turn blue, which would indicate a low level of community transmission.”
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In addition to seeing a drop in cases, the state also is meeting its 7.5% test positivity threshold, indicating it is testing adequately, at 6.2%. Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said in the three of the last four weeks, the state tested at the highest level since December and January.
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Health officials also are preparing for federal decisions regarding availability for booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting today and tomorrow to consider potential guidelines for such booster shots, following a Food and Drug Advisory committee’s recommendation last Friday that they not be made available to all people 16 years and older. The FDA itself, as of this writing, had not issued a recommendation. Parajón said today the state’s Medical Advisory Team will meet following the issuance of federal guidelines to prepare New Mexico’s rollout, possibly as soon as Monday.
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Health officials also are keeping an eye on developments as it relates to emergency authorization for children between the ages of 5 and 11 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, following positive reports from Pfizer/BioNTech; the companies plan to apply to the FDA by the end of the month to use the vaccine among this age group.
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Cases among people under 17 remain higher than other age groups, with those in the 5-17-year-old age group, but a more “dramatic” increase in the latter group, Ross said, fueled by the Delta variant. Hospitalizations for that age group remain stable, she said.
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New Mexico health officials today reported 719 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 247,353. DOH has designated 216,688 of those cases as recovered.
Bernalillo County had 212 new cases, followed by 51 cases in Chaves County and 50 cases in Sandoval County. Santa Fe County had 18 new cases.
The state also announced 19 additional deaths, 18 recent, including the 164th from Santa Fe County: a male in his 80s who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions. There have now been 4,719 fatalities.
Deaths, Scrase said today, remain high, as expected following a surge in hospitalizations. Today’s 19 deaths, he said, “means now 4,719 new Mexicans have lost their lives due to coronavirus, and we mourn each one of those.”
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As of today, 359 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.* Models for hospitalization show them trending downward, though practically speaking hospitals remain full and hovering between contingency and crisis standards of care.
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Cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain overwhelmingly to be among those who are unvaccinated—85.5% of the cases; 90.8% of hospitalizations; and 94.6% of deaths, according to this week’s vaccination report.
That point was illustrated by a graphic from Presbyterian Hospital below, in which unvaccinated patients hospitalized are shown on the left in red and vaccinated “break-through” cases on the right.
“If you’re working in a hospital, this is what you see every day in an ICU,” Scrase said, noting that “the challenge of taking care of really sick people and knowing these illnesses could have been prevented” is “really emotional stressful.”
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New cases
- 212 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 51 new cases in Chaves County
- 14 new cases in Cibola County
- 13 new cases in Colfax County
- 20 new cases in Curry County
- 1 new case in De Baca County
- 37 new cases in Doña Ana County
- 47 new cases in Eddy County
- 6 new cases in Grant County
- 40 new cases in Lea County
- 6 new cases in Lincoln County
- 1 new case in Los Alamos County
- 8 new cases in Luna County
- 23 new cases in McKinley County
- 9 new cases in Mora County
- 29 new cases in Otero County
- 9 new cases in Quay County
- 17 new cases in Rio Arriba County
- 6 new cases in Roosevelt County
- 50 new cases in Sandoval County
- 34 new cases in San Juan County
- 8 new cases in San Miguel County
- 18 new cases in Santa Fe County
- 1 new case in Sierra County
- 9 new cases in Socorro County
- 3 new cases in Taos County
- 7 new cases in Torrance County
- 2 new cases in Union County
- 38 new cases in Valencia County
New fatalities
- A female in her 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized
- A male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A female in her 70s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized
- A male in his 70s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A female in her 80s from Bernalillo County
- A male in his 50s from Chaves County who was hospitalized
- A male in his 70s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A female in her 60s from Lea County who was hospitalized, had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Desert Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hobbs
- A second female in her 60s from Lea County who hospitalized
- A male in his 70s from Lea County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A male in his 80s from Lea County who was a resident of the Desert Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hobbs
- A female in her 50s from Luna County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A female in her 80s from McKinley County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Genesis McKinley Care Center in Gallup
- A male in his 80s from Roosevelt County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the BeeHive Homes Portales facility
- A male in his 70s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A female in her 80s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A male in his 80s from Santa Fe County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A male in his 80s from Valencia County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
Newly reported fatalities from more than 30 days ago
- A female in her 30s from Bernalillo County who 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
- Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center
- All Care Assisted Living in Clovis
- Autumn Blessings Assisted Living in Logan
- Avamere in Roswell
- Avista Senior Living (Brookdale Senior Living) in Albuquerque
- Aztec Healthcare in Aztec
- BeeHive Homes Bosque Farms
- BeeHive Homes Clovis
- BeeHive Homes Roswell
- BeeHive Homes Santa Fe
- Bloomfield Nursing and Rehabilitation in Bloomfield
- Brookdale Valencia in Albuquerque
- Calibre Sagecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Las Cruces
- Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center in Alamogordo
- Casa de Oro in Las Cruces
- Casa del Sol Center in Las Cruces
- Casa Maria Health Care Center in Roswell
- Cedar Ridge Inn in Farmington
- Clayton Nursing and Rehabilitation in Clayton
- Clovis Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Clovis
- Colfax Long-Term Care Center in Springer
- Desert Peaks Assisting Living and Memory Care in Las Cruces
- Desert Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hobbs
- 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 in Lovington
- Good Samaritan Society – Betty Dare in Alamogordo
- Good Samaritan Society – Manzano del Sol Village in Albuquerque
- Lakeview Christian Home in Carlsbad
- Landmark at Desert Gardens in Hobbs
- La Vida Llena Assisted Living in Albuquerque
- Las Palomas Center in Albuquerque
- Life Care Center in Farmington
- Lovington Healthcare in Lovington
- The Meadows Home at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas
- Mission Arch Center in Roswell
- MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Albuquerque
- MorningStar Memory Care at North Ridge in Albuquerque
- The Neighborhood Assisted Living in Rio Rancho
- The Neighborhood Health Care in Rio Rancho
- Odelia Healthcare (Camino Healthcare) in Albuquerque
- Princeton Place in Albuquerque
- Ravenna Assisted Living in Albuquerque
- The Rehabilitation Center of Albuquerque
- Retirement Ranches in Clovis
- The Retreat Healthcare in Rio Rancho
- The Rio at Las Estancias in Albuquerque
- Sandia Senior Suites in Albuquerque
- Santa Fe Care Center in Santa Fe
- Sierra Health Care Center in Truth or Consequences
- Sierra Hills Assisted Living in Truth or Consequences
- Silver Wings Assisted Living in Albuquerque
- South Valley Care Center in Albuquerque
- Spanish Trails Rehabilitation Suites in Albuquerque
- St. Anthony Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Clovis
- The Suites at Rio Vista in Rio Rancho
- Sunny Day Assisted Living in Gallup
- Sunshine Assisted Living in Tucumcari
- Vida Encantada Nursing & Rehabilitation in Las Vegas
- Village at Northrise in Las Cruces
- Wheatfields Senior Living Community in Clovis
- White Sands Healthcare in Hobbs
- The Woodmark at Uptown in Albuquerque
Statewide cases
County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.
- Bernalillo County: 69,781
- Catron County: 136
- Chaves County: 11,630
- Cibola County: 3,243
- Colfax County: 1,103
- Curry County: 6,924
- De Baca County: 218
- Doña Ana County: 28,234
- Eddy County: 10,013
- Grant County: 2,017
- Guadalupe County: 563
- Harding County: 15
- Hidalgo County: 532
- Lea County: 12,698
- Lincoln County: 2,548
- Los Alamos County: 646
- Luna County: 3,739
- McKinley County: 13,629
- Mora County: 268
- Otero County: 5,340
- Quay County: 871
- Rio Arriba County: 4,407
- Roosevelt County: 2,538
- Sandoval County: 14,557
- San Juan County: 17,959
- San Miguel County: 2,286
- Santa Fe County: 12,128
- Sierra County: 937
- Socorro County: 1,579
- Taos County: 2,190
- Torrance County: 1,204
- Union County: 311
- Valencia County: 8,285
Cases among people being held by federal agencies
- Cibola County Correctional Center: 455
- Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 502
- Otero County Processing Center: 500
- Torrance County Detention Facility: 349
Cases among people being held by the New Mexico Department of Corrections
- Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 316
- Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 256
- Lea County Correctional Facility: 762
- Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 169
- Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 130
- Otero County Prison Facility: 473
- Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 222
- Roswell Correctional Center: 229
- Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 234
- Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 151
- Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 76
*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.
