Virus cases down slightly

Quay County saw a small decrease in confirmed coronavirus cases last week while cases continued to surge statewide past the 1,000 mark for three days in a row.

Twenty cases were reported in the county last week, including two on Friday, by the New Mexico Department of Health. That compares to 24 in the previous week.

The total number in the county since the pandemic began rose to 1,056.

No confirmed COVID-19 deaths were reported in the county for a second straight week, keeping the total at 23 since the pandemic began last spring.

Thirteen COVID-19 deaths, or more than half of the total, had been reported in Quay County since late May, when the more contagious Delta variant began to spread across the country.

Last week’s cases were reported in the Tucumcari, Logan and House ZIP codes.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 794 in Tucumcari, 170 in Logan, 45 in San Jon, 15 in House, 10 in McAlister, 10 in Bard, nine in Nara Visa, and five in Grady in the part that extends into the county.

A total of 940 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:

• Trousdale Real Estate, Logan, one case reported Oct. 29;

• Farm Credit, Tucumcari, one case reported Nov. 1;

• Confidential case, Tucumcari, case assigned to Children, Youth and Families Department, one case reported Nov. 2.

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.

House Municipal Schools returned to school Monday after two weeks of remote learning due to several COVID-19 cases among students or staff there.

In New Mexico, 1,463 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, bringing the total to more than 282,000 since the pandemic began. The state had recorded more than 4,200 cases in a three-day period.

Twelve COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to 5,113.

Health Secretary David Scrase said during a briefing last week the state’s test-positivity rate had risen to 9.9% – considerably above the target of 7.5%.

Quay County’s case rate ranks 12th-worst of New Mexico counties, which all are seeing elevated numbers. Only Harding and Los Alamos counties landed in the less-serious orange level of case rates.

A total of 435 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, an increase of 38 from the previous week.

Scrase said New Mexico’s hospitalization capacity remains “in trouble” because of new COVID-19 cases, nursing shortages and more non-COVID cases in general.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 1,957 active cases of the disease, a decrease of 28 from the previous week. The active-case count was about 300 earlier this summer.

The disease has killed 915 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 46.4 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 753,000 deaths, through Friday.

Vaccinations

The New Mexico Medical Advisory Team last week authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 11 after similar approvals by federal health agencies.

Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said during a briefing that enough of the Pfizer doses should be available for the state’s adolescents this week. Vaccinations for adolescents are one-third of an adult dose.

Parajon said vaccinations in small children reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations by 93%, and its side effects are milder than with older children.

Parents can sign up those children for vaccinations at the state’s portal at vaccineNM.org/kids or call their health provider. The Department of Health’s vaccination line also is available at (855) 600-3453, option 3.

Renee Hayoz, the administrator for the Quay County Family Health Center in Tucumcari, said her clinic on Friday received 100 doses of Moderna vaccine for children, but she had not initiated a plan yet on how to distribute them. She said parents can call the clinic and put their child on a waiting list to get the shot.

"We encourage the community to get vaccinated for COVID-19, and while we're not providing vaccines for anyone under the age of 18 at DCT, community members can access a vaccine close to home by registering at NMDOH's vaccine portal,” said Vickie Gutierrez, chief hospital executive at Trigg Memorial Hospital.

According to state data Friday, 48.8% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.2% from the previous week.

About 54% of Quay County residents have received one shot of COVID-19 vaccine through Friday, an increase of 0.3% from the previous week.

In New Mexico, 72.8% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 82.8% receiving one dose of vaccine.

New Mexico residents are encouraged to schedule their primary and booster shots with their primary care physicians. They also can do so through the statewide COVID-19 vaccine registration system, vaccineNM.org.

School plan

Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said during a briefing last week that public schools across the state are being offered the Test to Stay modified quarantine program, and its rollout should be completed in the next three to five weeks.

Steinhaus explained the program is designed to keep in school unvaccinated children and staff members exposed to COVID-19.

Test to Stay is designed to replace the standard 10-day quarantine for those in close contact with COVID-19 with rapid coronavirus tests on the first, third and fifth day after a close contact. If a testing day falls on a day school is not in session or the individual is absent, the testing sequence will resume the next school day.

Those who continue to test negative under that protocol can remain in school. Those who show symptoms of COVID-19 still must self-isolate. Those who test positive for the virus still must quarantine for 10 days.

Steinhaus said Test to Stay is designed to promote school and community safety, minimize quarantines, keep students in the classroom and offer districts more local flexibility. The Alamogordo school district was among the first to implement the program, he said.

Districts registered in Test to Stay will receive a $70,000 base grant, plus $30 per enrolled student to cover expenses related to developing a school surveillance testing program. Districts can use the funding for a broad range of testing-related expenses, including hiring a school nurse or other support personnel.

Steinhaus said many school superintendents have reacted favorably to the program.

Scrase also mentioned that New Mexico’s child hospitalizations with the disease remained low compared to many other states. He surmised case rates among children were muted here because the state’s higher-than-average vaccination rates reduce spread among families.