43 new confirmed virus cases reported

A total of 43 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in three days were reported in Quay County last week by the state’s Department of Health, an indication the virus still was spreading at a high rate.

The agency did not report data Thursday or Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Last week’s total projects to more than 70 cases during a full week.

A record total of 91 confirmed cases were reported in Quay County the previous week.

According to state epidemiology reports, Quay County had the worst case rate in New Mexico with 145.5 new cases per 100,000 people from Nov. 9 to Nov. 23. The county also had the state’s worst test-positivity rate, at 22.56%.

Neighboring De Baca and Union counties also ranked in the top 10 for case rates.

The total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began rose to 1,250.

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

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 934 in Tucumcari, 205 in Logan, 57 in San Jon, 15 in House, 14 in Bard, 11 in McAlister, 11 in Nara Visa, and three in Grady in the part that extends into the county.

A total of 993 people in the county were deemed by the DOH to have recovered from the virus.

The death toll in the county remained at 25 since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020. About two-thirds of the county’s deaths have occurred in the last six months.

Two separate COVID-19 rapid responses of one case each were reported at Tucumcari Public Schools on Nov. 19 and Nov. 22.

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.

Logan and San Jon public schools were scheduled to reopen this week after rising caseloads prompted school officials to go to remote-only classes in mid-November.

In New Mexico, a total of 1,409 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday (the latest day available before the Quay County Sun’s deadline), bringing the total to more than 308,000 since the pandemic began.

The state was averaging over 1,300 cases per day.

Twenty-one COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Wednesday, raising the total to 5,310.

A total of 648 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Wednesday, an increase of 100 from the previous week. Hospitalizations in the state have risen 50% in just a few weeks.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 2,734 active cases of the disease, an increase of about 150 from the previous week.

The active-case count in the metro was about 300 earlier this summer.

The disease has killed 933 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 48.1 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 776,000 deaths, through Friday.

Vaccinations

According to state data Friday, 49.7% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.2% from the previous week.

About 55.1% 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, 74.2% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 85.2% receiving at least one dose of vaccine.

The Quay County Family Health Center will hold a booster-only vaccination event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Quay County Fairgrounds’ fair barn in Tucumcari. Organizers are asking those who will be vaccinated to bring their vaccine cards, identification and insurance cards.

Residents still can schedule their vaccinations through the state’s registration portal at VaccineNM.org.

Parents can sign up children over age 5 for vaccinations at the state’s portal at vaccineNM.org/kids or their health provider.

The Department of Health’s vaccination line also is available at 855-600-3453, option 3.

New Mexico residents age 18 and over also 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.

According to state epidemiology reports, 92% of New Mexico deaths due to COVID-19 since Feb. 1 occurred among the unvaccinated.