New case confirmed in county, at TES

Another new COVID-19 case was reported Thursday in Quay County, and the state's Public Education Department also reported a COVID-19 case – earlier identified as a Tucumcari Elementary School student – in the county.

According to the New Mexico Department of Health website, the latest case was a male age 70 to 79. No ZIP code information about the victim was available.

That brought the total number of cases in Quay County since the pandemic began to 95, with two deaths. The county has recorded 10 cases in one week.

According to the PED on Thursday, the Tucumcari student last was on campus Oct. 13. It stated all staff members and parents were notified. Affected classrooms and facilities were cleaned and disinfected.

A news release from superintendent Aaron McKinney stated the district is required to investigate to see who had “close contact” – anyone 6 feet or closer for more than three minutes -- with the infected student and test those individuals within seven to 10 days. All in close contact must self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of test results.

Tucumcari Elementary also reported another coronavirus case on Oct. 4.

In New Mexico, 669 new cases of the virus were reported Thursday, with three deaths. The number of hospitalizations from the disease rose to 213.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Amarillo rose to more than 4,000, according to the city's Department of Health.

In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases rose to nearly 8.4 million, with more than 222,000 deaths.