COVID-19 numbers jump in county

After several weeks of relatively stable coronavirus case numbers, Quay County saw a big jump last week.

Sixty cases were reported in the county last week, including a total of 38 on Thursday and Friday alone, by the New Mexico Department of Health.

That compares to 20 during the previous week.

The DOH combined its Thursday and Friday totals due to the Veterans Day holiday.

The total number in the county since the pandemic began rose to 1,116.

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

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

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 841 in Tucumcari, 178 in Logan, 50 in San Jon, 15 in House, 10 in McAlister, 10 in Bard, nine in Nara Visa, and three in Grady in the part that extends into the county.

A total of 964 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 each on Nov. 5 and Nov. 10;

• First Title FVC, Tucumcari, one case reported Nov. 9;

• New Mexico Health Department, Tucumcari, one case reported Nov. 10;

• UPS Customer Center, Tucumcari, one case reported Nov. 10.

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, a total of 3,524 new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday and Friday, bringing the total to more than 292,000 since the pandemic began. The state is averaging well over 1,000 cases per day.

During a briefing Wednesday, Health Secretary David Scrase attributed the state’s rise in cases due to waning immunity among those vaccinated early in the year, residents practicing less-safe health methods, unvaccinated people and a Delta variant of the disease that is far more contagious.

Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said unvaccinated people still are driving most of the new cases in New Mexico. About 70% of the cases since spring have occurred in unvaccinated people, and 95% of the COVID-19 deaths are among the unvaccinated.

Parajon said she was worried about an uptick in cases among people age 65 and older, who are the most vulnerable to the virus. She advised such people to get their booster shots.

State epidemiologist Christian Ross said “the pandemic is far from over” and noted steep increases in cases in Eastern Europe and Russia, the latter of which has only one-third of its residents vaccinated.

Ross said the Delta variant also is driving a rise in cases in western Europe, but those countries are seeing lower hospitalization and death rates because of high vaccination rates in that region.

Twenty-one COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Thursday and Friday, raising the total to 5,169.

Quay County’s case rate ranked about in the middle last week of New Mexico counties, all which are seeing elevated numbers. Only sparsely populated Harding County was not in the red zone.

A total of 508 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, an increase of more than 70 from the previous week. That is the highest number of hospitalizations since January.

Scrase said hospitals in New Mexico were at 120% capacity. The modeling team for Presbyterian Medical Services also is projecting higher hospitalizations in the next two weeks.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 2,059 active cases of the disease, a decrease of about 100 from the previous week. The active-case count was about 300 earlier this summer.

The disease has killed 921 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 46.9 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 761,000 deaths, through Friday.

Vaccinations

The Quay County Family Health Center in Tucumcari recently received 100 doses of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 11.

The clinic will hold a vaccination event from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday. Anyone interested in getting their child vaccinated will need to call the clinic at 575-461-2200 to be scheduled.

Bestcare Pharmacy in Tucumcari also recently received 100 doses of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine. Parents can register online at vaccineNM.org or call 1-855-600-3453, then call the pharmacy with their confirmation number to schedule an appointment.

Parajon said the pediatric Pfizer vaccine helps lower the spread among children age 5 to 11 who often are asymptomatic but still are spreading the disease. Among such children, the vaccine is 91% effective.

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.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday signed an executive order expanding eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to all New Mexico adults as part of the state’s strategy to address rising case numbers and hospitalizations.

New Mexicans aged 18 and over may now schedule a booster shot if:

• They received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago, or;

• They completed the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series more than six months ago

The statewide requirement that face masks be worn in all indoor public spaces, with limited exceptions and regardless of vaccination status, also was extended through at least Dec. 10.

According to state data Friday, 49.1% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.3% from the previous week.

About 54.3% 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, 73.5% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 83.8% 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.