Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Three more cases of COVID-19 were reported last week in Quay County by the New Mexico Department of Health, raising the official total to exactly 2,000 since the pandemic began two years ago.
The total number of the county’s confirmed cases the previous week also was three.
Despite low numbers locally and in the state since March, the DOH on Friday renewed its public health order through May 16.
The agency stated in a news release the most recent two-week data showed the new Omicron BA.2 variant made up 22.1% of cases in New Mexico and was growing.
“We know being up-to-date on vaccines is the best way to safeguard ourselves, our families and our communities and reduce the risk of medically significant disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” stated David R. Scrase, acting Cabinet Secretary for the DOH, in a news release Friday. “If you need your first, second, third or fourth vaccine dose, please get vaccinated – this is especially important for more socially vulnerable individuals and communities, where the risk of severe disease is more than doubled.”
Omicron in general spreads more easily than other COVID-19 variants but mostly cause milder illnesses.
Because the vast majority of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths occur among unvaccinated residents, the agency encouraged everyone 5 years and older to stay up-to-date on their vaccines and boosters.
According to state epidemiology reports, Quay County’s COVID-19 case rate dropped to 4.3 new cases per 100,000 people from March 29 to April 11, compared to 6.8 during the previous period. It remained in the yellow zone for risk, as did many other counties in New Mexico.
However, the neighboring counties of Curry, Harding and San Miguel dropped into the orange or red zones of risk due to a rising cases there.
The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,537 in Tucumcari, 280 in Logan, 94 in San Jon, 34 in House, 21 in McAlister, 18 in Bard and 14 in Nara Visa.
The county’s death toll stayed at 51 since the pandemic began. A total of 43 deaths have occurred since last May.
The state stated a total of 1,932 people in Quay County to have recovered from the virus.
No COVID-19 rapid responses again were reported in the county last week.
The state’s seven-day daily case rate rose somewhat, totaling 97 by Friday. The rate was 73 the previous Friday.
A total of 152 new cases of coronavirus were reported in New Mexico on Friday. That raised the total since the pandemic began to nearly 520,000.
A total of 48 people remained hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decline of 15 from the previous week. Friday’s number was the lowest since the pandemic began two years ago.
Ten COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to 7,410.
The total number of active cases in the Amarillo metro region dropped Friday to 75, compared to 92 the previous week.
The disease has killed 1,233 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.
In the U.S., more than 80.6 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 988,000 deaths, through Saturday.
New Mexico residents can schedule vaccinations through the state’s registration portal at VaccineNM.org.
The Department of Health’s vaccination helpline is available at 855-600-3453, option 3.