Small settlements may be vulnerable to virus

A breakdown of Quay County’s COVID-19 vaccination rates by ZIP code show the settlements of San Jon, McAlister and Grady may be particularly vulnerable to the more-contagious and rapidly spreading Delta variant of the virus.

The Quay County Sun requested from the New Mexico Department of Health the county’s vaccination rates by ZIP code. The agency, which has been tracking COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates by ZIP code for months, provided that data through July 11.

The ZIP code that includes the village of Logan had the highest vaccination rates in the county, with 40.8% of its eligible residents fully vaccinated. Also, 46.8% of those residents received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Second-highest was House, with 38.9% of its residents fully vaccinated and 42.1% with one dose.

The least-vaccinated ZIP code was McAlister, with 10% of its residents fully vaccinated and 12.3% receiving at least one shot.

Second-worst was the Grady ZIP code, which straddles Quay and Curry counties. It had just 14.6% of its eligible residents fully vaccinated and 18% receiving one shot.

Third-worst was San Jon, with 20.5% of its eligible residents fully vaccinated and 23.6% with one dose.

All other ZIP codes in Quay County were at least 30% fully vaccinated. The Tucumcari and the Quay ZIP codes, lumped together in the state’s data, had 32.6% of its residents fully vaccinated and 36.1% with at least one shot.

Quay County in general has remained a persistent laggard in vaccination rates compared to the state. Nearly 64% of New Mexico residents were fully vaccinated through Friday, compared to 42.1% in the county.

C. Renee Hayoz, administrator of the Quay County Family Health Center in Tucumcari, weeks ago theorized that residents going into Texas for vaccinations may have played a role in the county’s persistently low rates. Neighboring states typically don’t share vaccination data with other states.

Hayoz said in a phone interview Friday she doesn’t believe the low numbers now are necessarily due to people getting health care in the Lone Star State. She now attributes the low numbers to general vaccine hesitancy and residents living too far away to easily access healthcare.

“There are people who don’t have the resources to come to Tucumcari to get (the vaccines),” she said.. “There’s quite a distance from Tucumcari to those tiny little towns throughout Quay County.”

Vickie Gutierrez, administrator at Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, stated other possible reasons for low vaccination rates in Quay County.

“From national research some of the reasons include perceived lack of access to vaccines, concern about side effects, lack of trust in vaccines or the government and belief in disinformation about vaccines, such as that they cause infertility,” she wrote in an email. “Some people are still waiting to see more of their friends and family get vaccinated before making a decision.”

Hayoz said she continues to encourage residents to be fully vaccinated, especially because it gives fuller protection against the Delta variant of the virus. Studies have shown that people with just one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines hold just modest protection against the variant.

Hayoz said the Delta variant has an “R nought” factor — or contagiousness — of six, compared to a factor of two with earlier variants of the disease. That means people infected with the Delta variant can infect six more people with it.

Gutierrez said many people in the county are vulnerable to the emerging virus.

“With a much lower vaccination rate in our community, we are at greater risk from the Delta variant,” she wrote. “We also know that seniors and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk from serious illness and death from COVID-19. About 25% of Quay County residents are over 65.”

New Mexico Human Services Secretary David Scrase said during a briefing Wednesday the Delta variant is trending up in infections, especially in areas with low vaccinations rates such as a Missouri, Texas, Nevada and Arkansas. He said the Delta variant is responsible for more than half of new infections in the U.S. and growing.

Southwest Missouri, which includes the state’s third-largest city of Springfield, is seeing more COVID-19 patients at its hospitals than at any time during the pandemic. Vaccination rates in that region are as low as 20% in those counties.

Scrase said 96% of new cases and 98% of COVID-19 deaths are occurring in people who are not fully vaccinated.

Hayoz said her clinic has set aside 2 to 3 p.m. each Thursday for vaccinations. Residents can make an appointment by calling (575) 461-2200.

All New Mexico residents age 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and may schedule their vaccine appointment at vaccineNM.org or by calling 1-855-600-3453.