NM Health Secretary: New CDC Criteria Won’t Impact Policies

New Mexico Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said today while the state supports new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19, it will not be shifting policy or creating new state mandates in response to them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week introduced new metrics that measure at the county level COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days; the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients; and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.

Accordingly, the CDC then ranks counties as low, medium or high (green, yellow, orange) for “community levels” of COVID-19, and recommends people in counties ranked high wear masks indoors.

The “community level” is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.

Specifically, to be orange in the hospital criteria, a county would need to have more than 20 hospital admissions per 100,000 over the past seven days and have more than 15% of its hospitals’ beds occupied by COVID-19 patients over the same time period. Neither data point is reported at the county level by DOH at this time. For cases, counties would need to have 200 or more cases per 100,000 population. According to Scrase, in response to a question by SFR, hospitals report such data directly to DOH on a daily basis, which provides the information to the CDC.

In New Mexico, 10 counties currently have high levels of transmission according to the new CDC system, including Santa Fe County. Again, the county-level data for Santa Fe County is not currently made available by the state.

However, the CDC’s data reports Santa Fe County hospitals have a 9.9 hospital admissions per 100,000 over seven days; a 13.40% in-patient utilization of hospital beds; and 205.51 total new cases per 100,000 over the same time period, which would put the county’s hospital admissions in the low category; utilization in the medium classification and cases in the high ranking. According to the CDC, it looks at the three data points in combination, and “data on new cases acts as an early warning indicator of potential increases in health system strain in the event of a COVID-19 surge.”

As noted, the CDC recommends people in orange counties wear masks indoors. New Mexico’s current public health order does not require masks in any indoor setting, and Scrase said that will not change in response to the new CDC approach.

“We’re not having any discussions about using this new system for making statewide policy decisions,” Scrase said during today’s weekly COVID-19 update. Rather, he said, “I think it’s valuable information we all can use to make decisions.” As for the data itself, in response to a question from SFR, he said the CDC has not “completely opened up that reporting methodology” to the state but “we’re going to be working with them.”

While the state doesn’t plan to change any policies or create new mandates, the health department does plan to incorporate some of the new metrics into its own evolving approach to the state’s public data reporting, a topic about which Scrase spoke with SFR last week. At next week’s briefing, Scrase says more information will be provided about changes to the reporting going forward.

The new system also means school districts will be able to consider their masking policies in light of individual county designations by the CDC. In response to yet another question from SFR, Scrase said he had texted Education Secretary Dr. Kurt Steinhaus to discuss the new measures but hadn’t “heard back from him yet.” Scrase also said he didn’t know whether there would be any changes to the guidance for schools—which currently have autonomy regarding their mask policies—but said “letting schools decide what they’re doing themselves…is likely to continue.”

Santa Fe Public Schools are set to make masks optional on March 21 when students return from spring break. In a statement from SFPS Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez provided to SFR, he says CDC analysis “is one data point we take into consideration when making these decisions. Our testing data will also be considered and the trends.” March 21 remains the target data for ending the district’s mask mandate, but “we will review as we get closer.”

As for New Mexico’s overall COVID-19 situation, Scrase reported “mainly good news” today with cases, hospitalizations and deaths all continuing to decline steeply, as the chart below indicates. “That meteoric drop in cases and hospitalizations has persisted,” he said.

New Mexico health officials today reported 440 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 512,550. DOH has designated 468,114 of those cases as recovered.

Bernalillo County had 102 new cases, followed by Santa Fe County with 39 and both San Juan and McKinley counties with 38. Eleven of Santa Fe County’s new cases were in the 87505 ZIP code, which ranked ninth in the state among ZIP codes with the most new cases.

The state also announced 16 additional deaths, 11 of them recent; there have now been 6,939 total fatalities statewide.

As of today, 236 people are hospitalized with COVID-19—a 32% decrease from a week ago and a 64% decrease from one month ago.*

Hospitals’ improving capacity—cited as the main impetus for the Feb. 17 termination of the state’s mask mandate—have been “dramatic,” Scrase said, though some, particularly in Albuquerque, continue to be operating above 100% capacity. In general, however, he said, “We have more non-ICU beds for COVID than we’ve had in quite some time; that’s a very positive trend and most of the facilities now have room and are not taking care of very many patients in the hallway.”

Workforce remains a concern, he said, and the state continues to have approximately 500 out-of-town health care workers it has brought in to ease the shortage. As he told SFR last week, the state plans to reduce the number of traveling health care workers, but will still be retaining some to help hospitals that need additional assistance.

As the March 11 two-year anniversary approaches, Scrase noted, “we’re getting into a new stage of the pandemic. DOH is hard at work planning that transition to a new phase of lower level of activity, with an add on plan of what we’re going to do and jump to if we go to another surge.”

At next week’s COVID-19 briefing, which will take place at 1 pm, March 11, he said, “We’ll talk a little bit about what we’ve been through, but mainly focus on where we’re going.”

New cases

• 102 new cases in Bernalillo County
• 1 new case in Catron County
• 2 new cases in Chaves County
• 5 new cases in Cibola County
• 7 new cases in Colfax County
• 5 new cases in Curry County
• 28 new cases in Doña Ana County
• 3 new cases in Eddy County
• 11 new cases in Grant County
• 1 new case in Guadalupe County
• 2 new cases in Hidalgo County
• 35 new cases in Lea County
• 6 new cases in Lincoln County
• 6 new cases in Los Alamos County
• 3 new cases in Luna County
• 38 new cases in McKinley County
• 3 new cases in Mora County
• 26 new cases in Otero County
• 7 new cases in Rio Arriba County
• 3 new cases in Roosevelt County
• 31 new cases in Sandoval County
• 38 new cases in San Juan County
• 16 new cases in San Miguel County
• 39 new cases in Santa Fe County
• 3 new cases in Sierra County
• 2 new cases in Socorro County
• 3 new cases in Taos County
• 11 new cases in Valencia County
• 1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Cibola County Correctional Center
• 1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Processing Center
• 1 new case among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County

New fatalities

• A female in her 80s from Bernalillo County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 50s from Bernalillo County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A second male in his 50s from Bernalillo County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 80s from Bernalillo County.
• A second male in his 80s from Bernalillo County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 90s from Bernalillo County.
• A male in his 50s from Chaves County. The individual was hospitalized.
• A female in her 80s from Luna County. The individual had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 80s from San Juan County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A female in her 70s from Taos County. The individual was hospitalized.
• A male in his 80s from Valencia County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

Newly reported fatalities more than 30 days old

• A female in her 30s from Bernalillo County. The individual had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 30s from Bernalillo County. The individual was hospitalized.
• A male in his 70s from Bernalillo County.
• A male in his 60s from Eddy County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A female in her 30s from San Juan County.

Statewide cases

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

• Bernalillo County: 145,001
• Catron County: 406
• Chaves County: 21,262
• Cibola County: 6,830
• Colfax County: 2,390
• Curry County: 12,481
• De Baca County: 566
• Doña Ana County: 62,272
• Eddy County: 16,942
• Grant County: 6,531
• Guadalupe County: 1,093
• Harding County: 77
• Hidalgo County: 1,074
• Lea County: 19,106
• Lincoln County: 5,145
• Los Alamos County: 2,658
• Luna County: 6,660
• McKinley County: 25,494
• Mora County: 750
• Otero County: 13,232
• Quay County: 1,972
• Rio Arriba County: 9,644
• Roosevelt County: 4,956
• Sandoval County: 32,994
• San Juan County: 40,219
• San Miguel County: 5,681
• Santa Fe County: 27,741
• Sierra County: 2,014
• Socorro County: 3,771
• Taos County: 5,248
• Torrance County: 2,646
• Union County: 774
• Valencia County: 18,313

Cases among people being held by federal agencies

• Cibola County Correctional Center: 550
• Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 614
• Otero County Processing Center: 929
• Torrance County Detention Facility: 428

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

• Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 487
• Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 328
• Lea County Correctional Facility: 933
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 221
• Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 187
• Otero County Prison Facility: 589
• Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 275
• Roswell Correctional Center: 369
• Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 313
• Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 271
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 113

*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.

Vaccinations

Currently, 84.2% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 73.7% are fully vaccinated. Among that age group, 16.9% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 63.7% of people have had at least one dose and 55.2% are fully inoculated. Among children ages 5-11, 6.3% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine. In Santa Fe County, 95.4% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 83.6% are fully vaccinated.

According to the most recent weekly vaccine report, between Jan. 31-Feb. 28, 48% of COVID-19 cases were among people who had not completed a primary vaccination series; 27.9% were among those who had completed the series but had not received a booster; and 24.1% were among those who were fully vaccinated and boosted. For hospitalizations, those figures change to 65%, 18.3% and 16.7%. The percentages shift to 63.1%, 20.7% and 16.2% for fatalities.

Currently, 91.9% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 78.1% have completed their primary series; 44.5% of adults 18 years and older have had a booster shot; 12-17-year-old age group: 71.1% of people have had at least one dose and 61.1% have completed their primary series; Children ages 5-11: 38.6% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 29.6% have completed their primary; Santa Fe County: 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 87% have completed their primary series.