Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Quay County’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases remained at a low level, with just three reported by state health officials last week.
COVID-19 cases totaled two in the county the previous week, according to New Mexico Department of Health data.
The COVID Act Now website kept Quay County’s risk rating for community spread of the disease at “low.” Quay County’s rate of new cases fell to 36.4 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 48.5 the previous week.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Quay County since the pandemic began in spring 2020 rose to 2,377.
The breakdown of total COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,822 in Tucumcari, 336 in Logan, 111 in San Jon, 41 in House, 27 in McAlister, 20 in Nara Visa and 19 in Bard.
The new cases last week were reported in the Logan and San Jon ZIP codes.
No confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Quay County was reported last week, keeping the death toll at 68 since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
A total of 246 new cases of coronavirus were reported Friday in New Mexico. That raised the total since the pandemic began to more than 620,000.
New Mexico’s seven-day daily case rate rose to 232 by Friday. The rate was 215 during the previous week.
After a small bump in the rise of cases during the previous week, all counties but Rio Arriba in northern New Mexico dropped back down to low risk for the disease’s spread. Rio Arriba County remained at medium risk.
A total of 80 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, a decline of 20 from the previous week.
A total of five COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the pandemic’s overall total to 8,595.
New Mexico Health Secretary David Scrase said during a briefing Thursday it appeared case counts of the disease were in “a plateau phase,” and signs were “encouraging” in the state.
He said a slight rise in cases occurred recently in the Albuquerque metro, which was worth monitoring. But he said his agency was focusing more on hospitalization numbers than case counts. Hospitalization numbers have remained low in recent months.
Scrase said state health officials had administered about 70,000 Omicron booster shots in four weeks. He said he was hopeful vaccine companies eventually would develop an annual vaccine, much like seasonal flu shots.
Scrase also said he anticipated the federal government would end its public health emergency regarding coronavirus in early 2023.
In the Amarillo metro region, the total number of active cases on Friday continued to fall. The total that day was 702, compared to 897 a week ago.
The disease has killed 1,309 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
In the U.S., about 96.4 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed since the pandemic began, with more than 1.06 million deaths, on Saturday.
The New Mexico Department of Health’s vaccination helpline is available at 855-600-3453, option 3, or by going to vaccinenm.org.
The 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 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.