Wave of new virus cases in New Mexico not abating



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Enrique Sanchez, 23, of Santa Fe, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a shooting clinic at Santa Fe Community College in this September file photo. The number of new virus cases and hospitalizations has remained stubbornly high in New Mexico in recent weeks, despite the state having one of the highest vaccine delivery rates in the country. (Eddie Moore / Journal)

Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE – After two months, the delta surge in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico is not abating as previously hoped.

State health officials on Thursday reported 1,025 new confirmed cases of the virus – the highest one-day total since August 12. Fourteen deaths have been reported.

There were also 349 people hospitalized in New Mexico with COVID-19 – up from 336 hospitalizations a week earlier.

As the number of new cases and hospitalizations stabilized after rising for much of August, senior health officials in the state said this week they had not fallen back. at previous levels.

This has resulted in prolonged pressure on New Mexico hospitals, many of which have faced chronic understaffing issues and are currently largely full due to a mix of COVID-19 and other patients.

Acting Secretary of State for Health David Scrase said in a briefing Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has already lasted longer than projections, saying: “It will spread much further ahead us than we thought “.

The recent surge in virus cases due to the highly contagious delta variant hasn’t spared New Mexico, despite the state having one of the highest COVID-19 vaccine delivery rates in the country.

As of Thursday, 80.5% of New Mexico residents aged 18 and over had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 71.2% of adults had received all of the vaccines needed to be fully immunized.

While some vaccinated residents have tested positive for “breakthrough” cases, most of the new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have occurred in unvaccinated people.

In a recent four-week period, about 77% of people who tested positive and 85.7% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 were not vaccinated, according to data from the Department of Health of the State.

In addition, a total of 129 of the 141 people – or 91.5% – whose deaths were linked to COVID-19 during that period had not received the vaccine.

In total, just over half of the state’s population has been fully immunized, as children under 12 are not currently eligible for vaccine doses.

Meanwhile, the state’s death toll from the pandemic rose to 4,854 on Thursday after state health officials reported the 14 additional deaths linked to the virus.

Six of the people who died were residents of Eddy or Lea counties in southeastern New Mexico, both of which experienced high rates of the virus spread during the recent spate of cases.

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