26th COVID-19 death reported

The New Mexico Department of Health last week reported the 26th death from COVID-19 in Quay County since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020.

The latest victim was a man in his 60s who was hospitalized.

About two-thirds of the county’s COVID-19 deaths have occurred since August — an indication of the Delta variant’s rapid spread throughout the region.

However, tentative signs emerged that the county’s sky-high coronavirus caseloads were beginning to ebb.

A total of 59 new confirmed cases were reported last week in Quay County, including 10 on Friday.

That number was substantially lower compared to recent weeks. The county’s case numbers previously had been lodged in the 90 to 100 range.

Also, the county also no longer was lodged at No. 1 in New Mexico in community spread of the disease, according to the DOH.

According to epidemiology reports, Quay County recorded a COVID-19 case rate of 153.1 new cases per 100,000 people from Nov. 30 to Dec. 13, rising slightly. The county also recorded a test-positivity rate of 23.75%, which fell slightly.

Neighboring De Baca County leapfrogged to the No. 1 spot in both metrics, with a case rate of 182.5 per 100,000 and a test-positivity rate of 25.82%.

Neighboring Union and Roosevelt counties ranked fifth- and eighth-worst community spread in the state, respectively.

The total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began in spring 2020 rose to 1,521 by Friday.

Most of last week’s cases were in the Tucumcari ZIP code.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,149 in Tucumcari, 239 in Logan, 66 in San Jon, 21 in House, 15 in Bard, 15 in McAlister and 12 in Nara Visa.

A total of 1,148 people in the county were deemed by the DOH to have recovered from the virus.

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

• EPCAA Early Head Start, Tucumcari, one case reported Dec. 10;

• Tucumcari Public Schools, one case reported Dec. 13;

• Denny’s, Tucumcari, one case reported Dec. 13;

• New Mexico Department of Transportation, District 4, Tucumcari, one case reported Dec. 14;

• Family Dollar, Tucumcari, one case reported Dec. 15;

• Mental Health Resources Inc., Tucumcari, one case reported Dec. 16.

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 1,180 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, bringing the total to more than 336,000 since the pandemic began.

Twenty-seven COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to 5,577.

Health Secretary David Scrase said during a health briefing last week that New Mexico’s caseloads appeared to be falling, but he anticipated the number of deaths would rise. There typically has been a one-month lag between COVID-19 case surges and a surge in deaths.

A total of 617 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decrease of more than 70 from the previous week. That was the first substantial decline in weeks.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 4,030 active cases of the disease, an increase of 150 from the previous week, with a hospitalization rate of more than 20%.

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

The disease has killed 970 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 50.7 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 806,000 deaths, through Friday.

Vaccinations

According to state data through Friday, 50.8% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.5% from the previous week.

About 57.2% of county residents have received one shot of COVID-19 vaccine through Friday, an increase of 0.9% from the previous week.

The county for months has lagged in its vaccination rates compared to the state average. In New Mexico, 75.3% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 87.6% receiving at least one dose of vaccine.

Residents still can schedule 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 help line 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.

In the past 30 days, with 81.8% of the COVID-19 deaths in New Mexico have occurred with the unvaccinated.

Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said vaccinations for children age 5 to 15 have exceeded projections so far.

State health officials were reluctant to speculate on the effects of the emerging Omicron variant, citing the lack of definitive data about it. The first case of the variant in New Mexico was identified on Dec. 14.

State epidemiologist Christine Ross said booster shots of the vaccine and a well-fitting mask remain the best weapons against any variant, including the still-dominant Delta.

“We have the tools to fight this variant,” she said.