Two more local COVID deaths reported

Two more confirmed COVID-19 deaths were reported last week in Quay County, though the region and state continued to see a relative decline in the number of cases.

The latest deaths in the county reported by the New Mexico Department of Health were:

• A woman in her 50s who was hospitalized;

• A man in his 40s who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

Both deaths had occurred more than 30 days ago but weren’t reported by the agency until last week.

The death toll in Quay County rose to 39 since the pandemic began in spring 2020. A total of 31 of the deaths have occurred since late May, mostly during a spike with the Delta variant.

Unvaccinated people continued to be a big driver of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in New Mexico. When asked how many unvaccinated people in Quay County have died of the disease, DOH spokeswoman Katie Diffendorfer stated in an email she didn’t have that data.

However, Diffendorfer stated just 16 vaccinated people in New Mexico have died of COVID-19. More than 2,200 people in New Mexico have died of the disease since June 1, a time when vaccines were widely available.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quay County last week was 42, including six on Friday. That compares to 67 cases the previous week and 89 the week before that.

The total number of cases in the county rose to 1,924 since the pandemic began in spring 2020.

According to epidemiology reports, Quay County’s COVID-19 case rate fell to 116.6 new cases per 100,000 people from Jan. 18 to Jan. 31, a significant decline from the 164.2 rate in the previous reporting period. Though still at a high level, Quay County ranks in the bottom quarter of the state in tranmission rate.

McKinley County saw the worst rate, at 328 per 100,000.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,477 in Tucumcari, 275 in Logan, 89 in San Jon, 31 in House, 19 in McAlister, 17 in Bard and 14 in Nara Visa. New cases were spread throughout the county, but mostly in Tucumcari.

A total of 1,561 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:

• Presbyterian Medical Services, Tucumcari, one case reported Jan. 28;

• Tucumcari Public Schools, two cases reported Jan. 28 and one case reported Feb. 1;

• Wells Fargo Bank, Tucumcari, one case reported each on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3;

• Confidential case in Tucumcari, reported by Children, Youth and Families Department on Feb. 2;

• Tucumcari Home Health Hospice, one case reported Feb. 3.

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, the seven-day daily case average fell to about 2,400 by Friday, compared to more than 3,900 the prevous week. The Omicron variant typically has shown rapid spikes and rapid drops in cases.

A total of 2,104 new cases of coronavirus were reported in New Mexico on Friday. That raised the total since the pandemic began to more than 489,000.

New Mexico Health Secretary David Scrase said during a briefing last week the state’s case load was declining rapidly, and he expressed hope it would see “a spring break” from the disease.

“I’m very encouraged,” he said. “I think, after the past four to six weeks, we’ll get a significant break.”

Scrase also said hospitalizations also were declining, along with the number of intensive-care patients – especially in rural hospitals.

A total of 615 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decrease of nearly 60 from the previous week.

Nineteen COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to 6,535.

Scrase said data in New Mexico indicated the Omicron variant was leading to less serious illnesses that require hospitalization and a lower death rate compared to previous variants.

Still, he said it was important for people to be vaccinated. He said new data showed the COVID-19 death rate for fully boosted people was 0.11 per 100,000 people. Those who were vaccinated but not boosted saw a death rate of 0.60 per 100,000 people. The unvaccinated saw a death rate of 7.8 per 100,000 people.

The total number of active cases in the Amarillo metro region appeared to plateau Friday to more than 13,300. That was a drop of about 500 from the previous week. The active-case count in the metro was about 300 last summer.

The disease has killed 1,073 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 76.3 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 901,000 deaths, on Saturday.

Vaccines, testing

A mobile vaccine unit will be at Mesalands Community College this week through Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

It will offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for people age 12 and up and Pfizer vaccines for children age 5 to 11. Walk-in patients will be welcome, with no identification and no insurance necessary.

Local health providers also are offering shots by appointment.

According to state data through Friday, 52.5% of Quay County residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That was an increase of 0.3% from the previous week.

About 60.3% of county residents have received one shot of COVID-19 vaccine through Friday, an increase of 0.4% from the previous week.

In New Mexico, 77.4% of eligible residents had been fully vaccinated by Friday, with 91.5% receiving at least one dose of vaccine.

Scrase said 62.5% of New Mexico residents have received the booster shot.

Residents 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 helpline is available at 855-600-3453, option 3.

The federal government also is offering free rapid COVID-19 tests that can be shipped to homes. They can be ordered at COVIDtests.gov or calling 800-232-0233 or 888-720-7489.

According to DOH data, more than 2,000 rapid COVID-19 tests have been distributed in Quay County since late January.

The Quay County Courthouse and Quay County Extension Office, both in Tucumcari, each are offering free rapid tests.

FindATestNM.org also provides links to those who wish to receive free tests by mail order.