NM Reports 609 COVID-19 Cases

New Mexico health officials today reported 609 new COVID-19 cases, an approximate 27% increase from the day prior, and the highest single daily case count since Feb. 26, when the state reported 659 cases—although that spike was driven by nearly 200 state inmates cases.

There have now been 212,577 total COVID-19 cases; DOH has designated 197,192 of them as recovered.

Bernalillo County had 207 new cases, followed by Eddy County with 40 cases and Sandoval County with 39. Santa Fe County had 12 new cases.

“New Mexico’s rise in case numbers prove this pandemic to be far from over,” DOH spokesman David Morgan tells SFR via email. “More New Mexicans this week have a better chance of knowing family or friends who have tested positive than the week before. Be careful out there; do not let your guard down against this virus.”

The chart below shows counties’ case rates over the last week or so, as reported in the health department’s most recent report on geographical trends.

The state also announced two additional deaths, one recent and one from more than 30 days ago (DOH says it only reports COVID-deaths when death certificates are issued, and some are delayed due to incomplete information); there have now been 4,416 fatalities.

As of today, 187 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, a 48% increase since one week ago and more than 200% increase from the first week of July.

According to the health department’s most recent epidemiology report, since Feb. 1, 94% of the state’s new cases, 93.2% of hospitalizations and 98.1% of deaths have been among unvaccinated people. New Mexicans who receive a vaccine dose this month are eligible for a $100 incentive payment. The state’s most recent report on variants of concern, such as the Delta variant, says data for July 5-26 are incomplete, but shows “a rising trend in Delta” that “could represent as much as 80% of cases,” as announced last week by Acting Health Secretary and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase.

Regarding breakthrough cases—people contracting COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated—as SFR reported last week, Scrase said during the most recent COVID-19 update that the CDC has not outlined “a clear cut methodology for states to study vaccine breakthrough cases.” The CDC, since May 1, has focused on identifying breakthrough cases that resulted in hospitalizations or deaths. Scrase said there is a “growing body of suspicion” that some of those so-called breakthrough cases involved people with viral loads prior to full immunization. “We’re looking at studying those numbers,” he said last week. “We’re digging deeper right now to understand it more.”

Currently, 73.4% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 65.1% are fully vaccinated. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 50% have had at least one dose and 39.1% have been fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, among those 18 years and older, 83.6% have had at least one dose and 74.9% are fully inoculated.

New cases

• 207 new cases in Bernalillo County
• 20 new cases in Chaves County
• 6 new cases in Cibola County
• 15 new cases in Curry County
• 1 new case in De Baca County
• 37 new cases in Doña Ana County
• 40 new cases in Eddy County
• 7 new cases in Grant County
• 1 new case in Guadalupe County
• 12 new cases in Hidalgo County
• 25 new cases in Lea County
• 7 new cases in Lincoln County
• 4 new cases in Los Alamos County
• 6 new cases in Luna County
• 34 new cases in McKinley County
• 1 new case in Mora County
• 32 new cases in Otero County
• 10 new cases in Quay County
• 9 new cases in Rio Arriba County
• 10 new cases in Roosevelt County
• 39 new cases in Sandoval County
• 22 new cases in San Juan County
• 5 new cases in San Miguel County
• 12 new cases in Santa Fe County
• 4 new cases in Sierra County
• 1 new case in Socorro County
• 1 new case in Taos County
• 2 new cases in Torrance County
• 2 new cases in Union County
• 36 new cases in Valencia County
• 1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Torrance County Detention Facility

New fatalities

• A male in his in 80s from Eddy County who was a resident of the Good Life Senior Living and Memory Care facility in Artesia

Newly reported fatalities from more than 30 ago

• A male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized

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:

• Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center
• Bloomfield Nursing and Rehabilitation in Bloomfield
• The Bridge of Farmington in Farmington
• Casa de Oro in Las Cruces
• Desert Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hobbs
• Fort Bayard Medical Center in Santa Clara
• Good Life Senior Living and Memory Care in Los Lunas
• GoodLife Senior Living and Memory Care in Artesia
• Good Life Senior Living in Portales
• Good Samaritan Society – Betty Dare in Alamogordo
• Laguna Rainbow Care Center in Casa Blanca
• Las Palomas Center in Albuquerque
• MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Albuquerque
• The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho Assisted Living in Rio Rancho
• Sierra Health Care Center in Truth or Consequences
• Skies Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Albuquerque
• The Rehabilitation Center of Albuquerque
• The Rio at Las Estancias in Albuquerque
• Vida Encantada Nursing & Rehabilitation in Las Vegas

Statewide cases

County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.

• Bernalillo County: 61,300
• Catron County: 101
• Chaves County: 9,306
• Cibola County: 2,950
• Colfax County: 821
• Curry County: 5,542
• De Baca County: 186
• Doña Ana County: 25,590
• Eddy County: 7,514
• Grant County: 1,800
• Guadalupe County: 481
• Harding County: 13
• Hidalgo County: 440
• Lea County: 8,719
• Lincoln County: 1,877
• Los Alamos County: 559
• Luna County: 3,447
• McKinley County: 12,620
• Mora County: 181
• Otero County: 4,249
• Quay County: 573
• Rio Arriba County: 3,928
• Roosevelt County: 2,123
• Sandoval County: 12,731
• San Juan County: 16,109
• San Miguel County: 1,493
• Santa Fe County: 10,951
• Sierra County: 797
• Socorro County: 1,357
• Taos County: 1,807
• Torrance County: 917
• Union County: 264
• Valencia County: 7,181

Cases among people being held by federal agencies

• Cibola County Correctional Center: 451
• Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 452
• Otero County Processing Center: 421
• Torrance County Detention Facility: 332

Cases among people being held by the New Mexico Department of Corrections

• Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 302
• Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 255
• Lea County Correctional Facility: 762
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 169
• Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 128
• Otero County Prison Facility: 473
• Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 219
• Roswell Correctional Center: 229
• Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 231
• Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 151
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 75

*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.