Quay confirms 14th death from virus

Quay County saw its 14th confirmed death from coronavirus last week and its second in a week as the region saw a marked increase in cases.

According to an email Thursday from the New Mexico Department of Health, Quay County’s latest COVID-19 casualty was a man in his 70s who had underlying conditions.

The agency reported another death on Sept. 16 of a hospitalized Quay County man in his 70s with underlying conditions.

Quay County saw 56 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week — including 15 on Friday. That was a sizable jump compared to the 40 cases reported by the DOH in the previous week. Nearly all of last week’s cases were in the Tucumcari or Logan ZIP codes.

The Covid Act Now website on Thursday also downgraded Quay County to the “severe risk” category — the worst rating — for coronavirus spread. It previously was at a “very high risk” category.

The county's case total rose to 893 since the pandemic began in spring 2020.

During the most recent two-week assessment period from Sept. 7 to Sept. 20, the county’s daily case rate was 71.5 per 100,000 — an increase from the 60.4 recorded during the previous two-week period. The test-positivity rate also rose to 10.17%, from 9.7.% in the previous period.

The desired benchmarks are 10 daily cases per 100,000 and a 7.5% test positivity rate, or lower.

According to data given by state epidemiologist Christine Ross on Wednesday, Quay County continues to have the fifth-worst case rate in the state. She noted, however, that almost all of New Mexico’s counties were in the red zone regarding community spread of the virus.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 668 in Tucumcari, 142 in Logan, 42 in San Jon, 12 in House, 10 in McAlister, nine in Nara Visa, eight in Bard and five in Grady (part of which extends into Quay County).

A total of 686 people in the county were deemed by the DOH to have recovered from the virus.

These COVID-19 rapid responses were reported in the county last week:

• Tucumcari Public Schools, one case reported on Sept. 20 and Sept 23;

• Logan Municipal Schools, one case reported Sept. 20;

• Mesalands Community College, one case reported Sept. 20;

• Subway of Tucumcari, one case reported on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23.

A typical rapid response consists of isolating positive cases, quarantining close contacts, ceasing operations to the extent necessary to isolate affected areas, disinfecting these areas, implementing safety procedures and resuming operations. Typically, operations are ceased for fewer than 24 hours before it is safe to reopen.

In New Mexico, 714 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, bringing the overall total to more than 248,000 since the pandemic began. Cases in the state continued a slow downward trend.

Fourteen COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to 4,749.

A total of 314 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decline of 40 from the previous week.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 4,067 active cases of the disease, a decrease of about 500 from the previous week. The active-case count was about 300 earlier this summer.

The disease has killed more than 870 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 42.8 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 687,000 deaths, through Friday.

According to state data Friday, 46.4% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.9% from the previous week.

About 52.2% of Quay County residents have received one shot of COVID-19 vaccine through Friday, an increase of 0.4% from the previous week.

In New Mexico, 70.2% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 79.7% receiving one dose of vaccine.

Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said during a briefing Wednesday that research shows a second shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine increases efficacy against the disease.

Health Secretary David Scrase said Presbyterian hospitals across New Mexico are reporting that 93.8% of their COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated.

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after the completion of the primary series of vaccinations. It recommended these individuals get a booster:

• Individuals 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer primary shots;

• Individuals aged 50 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions should receive a Pfizer booster shot at least six months after their Pfizer primary series.

The CDC also identified groups that may receive a booster shot:

• Individuals age 18 to 49 who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to certain underlying medical conditions at least six months after their Pfizer primary shots, based on their individual benefits and risks;

• Individuals age 18 to 64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting at least six months after their Pfizer primary shots, based on their individual benefits and risks.

This week, DOH will release additional guidance about how New Mexico residents can schedule booster appointments.

Federal officials still are evaluating the possibility of Moderna booster shots. At least two studies, however, have indicated the Moderna vaccine maintains a high efficacy rate for a longer period than the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.