Quay records two confirmed cases

Quay County on Friday recorded two confirmed coronavirus case in the Logan ZIP code. However, it appeared the county might remain in the turquoise zone when COVID-19 risk assessments are announced Wednesday.

New Mexico also reached a grim milestone Friday when the 4,000th death from the pandemic was reported.

The latest cases in the county Friday was a girl age 10 to 19 and a woman age 40 to 49, according to data from the state’s Department of Health.

The Logan cases were reported one day after the superintendent of Logan Municipal Schools announced the closing of its campus for 14 days because of at least one confirmed case in a school building.

Despite the latest cases, Quay County has seen only three coronavirus cases since April 5. It can tolerate up to 10 cases during a two-week period and still be below the threshold of eight daily cases per 100,000 people.

The county also has an estimated test-positivity rate of 2% since April 5, well below the benchmark of 5%.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County was 329 in Tucumcari, 63 in Logan, 10 in House, nine in McAlister, eight in San Jon, four in Nara Visa, four in Grady (part of which extends into Quay County), and three in Bard. Eight deaths have been reported in the county since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

A total of 411 people in Quay County have been deemed to have recovered from the virus through Friday.

No COVID-19 rapid responses were reported in the county since late March.

In New Mexico, a total of 264 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, bringing the overall total to more than 194,000 since the pandemic began.

The state saw its seven-day average of cases drop to 148. The gating criteria is 168.

Four COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising that total at 4,001.

“Today’s sad milestone reminds us of what we have been through as a state and as a country,” state Health Secretary Tracie Collins stated on Friday. “This is not just another number — they are our neighbors, our fellow New Mexicans. We grieve for them and their families. It also underscores the need for us to remain cautious in the weeks and months ahead. While New Mexico is leading the nation in vaccinations and staying vigilant with COVID-safe practices, we are not out of the woods. There is still much work still to be done. We need to remain vigilant if we are going to beat COVID.”

A total of 116 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, an increase of 41% from a low of 82 on April 6. That number, however, remained well below the peak of more than 900 this winter.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 259 active cases of the disease — an increase of 53 in one week. The hospitalization rate rose to 3.58%, compared to the previous week’s 2.01% rate.

In the U.S., the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to more than 31.5 million, with more than 566,000 deaths, through Friday.