Five COVID-19 cases reported Monday in county

The New Mexico Department of Health reported five more confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported Monday in Quay County.

All were in the Tucumcari ZIP code. That was the largest number in one day in a month in the county.

The latest cases mostly were children – three younger than 10, one age 10 to 19 and one age 20 to 29.

The overall total rose Monday to 408 since the pandemic began last spring, with eight deaths.

The breakdown by ZIP code through Sunday was 316 in Tucumcari, 58 in Logan, 10 in House, eight in McAlister, seven in San Jon, four in Nara Visa, three in Grady (part of which extends into Quay County), and two in Bard.

Quay County could land in the yellow zone when COVID-19 risk assessments are announced Wednesday, allowing restaurants to reopen to indoor dining at 25% capacity.

Through Monday, the county had an estimated test-positivity rate of 3.4%, below the gating criteria of 5%.

Quay County through Monday has recorded 13 COVID-19 cases since Jan. 25 and won’t meet the other benchmark, which is 10 or fewer during a two-week period to meet the criteria of 8 daily cases per 100,000 people.

A total of 284 people in Quay County have been deemed to have recovered from the virus through Monday.

In New Mexico, a total of 315 new COVID-19 cases were reported Monday, bringing the overall total to more than 177,000 since the pandemic began. Monday’s was the lowest daily total since Oct. 5.

The seven-day average for cases in New Mexico has fallen to fewer than 500, a drop of about 200 in just a week’s time.

The state, however, remains well above the gating criteria of 168 cases in a seven-day average.

A total of 13 deaths were reported in the state Monday, increasing that total to 3,412. The average daily death count fell to 16.71, the lowest level since Nov. 17.

A total of 396 people were hospitalized with the disease Monday. That number has continued a downward trend from a peak of more than 900 earlier this winter.

The Amarillo metro region on Monday reported more than 1,700 active cases of the disease with a 10.62% hospitalization rate. Both numbers have been trending downward in recent weeks.

In the U.S., the total number of coronavirus cases rose to more than 27 million, with more than 464,000 deaths, through Monday.