Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
As quickly as coronavirus cases rose in early August, they dropped last week.
Quay County COVID-19 cases totaled 15 last week, compared to 67 during the previous week reported by the New Mexico Department of Health when the area briefly became the state’s hotspot for the disease.
In response to the drop-off, the COVID Act Now website on Friday upgraded Quay County from “high” to “medium” risk of community spread of the disease.
Neighboring counties of Curry, Roosevelt, De Baca, San Miguel, Harding and Union were in the low-risk zone. Guadalupe County was at medium risk.
According to COVID Act Now, Quay County more than halved its case rate in one week. The rate dropped from about 500 cases per 100,000 people in the previous week to 230 last week. Quay County improved from the worst new case rate in New Mexico to the seventh-worst. Lea County took over the No. 1 spot, at 370 cases per 100,000 people.
With last week’s numbers, the total number of coronavirus cases in the county since the pandemic began in spring 2020 rose to 2,307.
The breakdown of total COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,770 in Tucumcari, 326 in Logan, 107 in San Jon, 40 in House, 25 in McAlister, 20 in Nara Visa and 18 in Bard.
The new cases last week were reported in the ZIP codes of Tucumcari, Logan and Nara Visa.
Two confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Quay County were reported last week, raising the death toll from the virus to 67 since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
New Mexico’s seven-day daily case rate declined again, to 581 by Friday. The rate was 678 the previous week.
A total of 678 new cases of coronavirus were reported Friday in New Mexico. That raised the total since the pandemic began to more than 605,000.
A total of 145 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decline of nearly 40 from the previous week.
A total of five COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the pandemic’s overall total to 8,347.
In the Amarillo metro region, the total number of active cases on Friday again showed a slow decline after weeks of steep increases. That total that day was 2,073, compared to 2,219 the previous Friday.
The disease has killed 1,300 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
In the U.S., about 93.3 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed since the pandemic began, with more than 1.04 million deaths, through Saturday.
New Mexico residents can schedule vaccinations for themselves or their children through the state’s registration portal at VaccineNM.org. The New Mexico Department of Health’s vaccination helpline is available at 855-600-3453, option 3.
The state Department of Health recommends COVID-19 drugs for those who have contracted the disease in its early stages and are at high risk for serious illness. These drugs are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death but must be taken within days of the first symptom. More information on finding these treatments can be found at FindATreatmentNM.com.