Testing partnership extending to include Tucumcari

The New Mexico Department of Health and the Curative firm are further expanding their COVID-19 testing partnership to include 10 locations in southeast New Mexico, including Tucumcari.

Curative testing times at the Tucumcari Public Health Office at 310 S. Second St. will be from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, two sites in southeast New Mexico will now provide the less invasive, oral fluid tests. The sites already are established under the Public Health Offices and have been providing nasopharyngeal tests to the public since testing began.

Those tests will be exchanged this week for the Curative tests in Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Roswell, Clovis, Fort Sumner, Lovington, Portales, Ruidoso and Tucumcari.

Mostly non-medical DOH employees will staff the sites. The oral swabs are self-collected and do not require a medical professional to administer them.

“The Curative partnership has provided many benefits to the department and the people of New Mexico,” said incoming Secretary of Health Dr. Tracie Collins. “Our hard working, DOH employees are freed up to assist the public with other health initiatives, like administering flu shots and eventually the COVID vaccine. In addition, the tests are much less invasive, and the public are seeing faster result times. We hope to expand our Curative partnership even further as early as next week.”

“We are grateful for the Department of Health and the work they are doing to mitigate the spread,” said Curry County Manager Lance A. Pyle. “We know there have been challenges with the citizens of Curry County waiting for days and days to receive their test results and the state recognizes and acknowledges that frustration. Those tests have to travel all the way to Santa Fe before they can be processed by the state lab. The Curative tests are picked up at the end of the day and flown to out-of-state, Curative labs for processing and people are getting their results much faster which will allow our residents to isolate, take care of themselves, recover and get back to work.”

Curative is a California research company that created the first oral fluid test in the United States. As with all COVID-19 tests in New Mexico, these tests will be administered for free; clients must register beforehand at curative.com.