Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Quay County’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases went back down again last week after a spike during the previous period.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the county last week totaled seven by Wednesday, compared to 14 in the previous week. Two other weeks in early November also totaled seven cases each.
The New Mexico Department of Health did not report data on Thursday or Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to the COVID Act Now website, Quay County’s rate of new cases dropped somewhat to 121.2 cases per 100,000 people last week, from 145.4 the previous week.
The website continued to list the county as “low” risk of community spread of the disease.
Neighboring De Baca County still was continuing to a “medium” risk of community spread as it has for the past few weeks. It had the third-highest rate of new infections in New Mexico, with 400.5 per 100,000 people.
Another neighboring county, Guadalupe, had the fifth-highest rate, at 302.3 per 100,000.
All the other neighboring counties were listed at low risk of the disease’s spread.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Quay County since the pandemic began in spring 2020 rose to 2,431 by Wednesday.
The breakdown of total COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Wednesday was 1,855 in Tucumcari, 350 in Logan, 112 in San Jon, 44 in House, 28 in McAlister, 21 in Nara Visa and 20 in Bard since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
New cases last week were reported in the Tucumcari and McAlister ZIP codes.
No confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Quay County were reported last week, keeping the death toll at 69 since the pandemic began more than two years ago. No death have been reported in the county since late October.
The COVID Act Now website last Tuesday degraded New Mexico community risk level of the disease to “high.”
Also, a spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham reported the governor had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. She said Lujan Grisham would quarantine herself at the governor’s residence and would not celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family.
Lujan Grisham stated she was experiencing only mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated, along with the latest booster.
It was the second time she tested positive for the virus. The previous time was in late August.
A total of 622 new cases of coronavirus were reported Wednesday in New Mexico. That raised the total since the pandemic began to more than 643,000.
The Department of Health did not collect data on Thursday or Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
New Mexico’s seven-day daily case rate dropped to 654 by Wednesday, the first time in nearly two months the rate had decreased. The rate was 744 the previous week.
A total of 235 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Wednesday, a jump of nearly 40 from the previous week.
A total of five COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Tuesday and Wednesday, raising the pandemic’s overall toll to 8,702.
In the Amarillo metro region, the total number of active cases rose for the fourth straight week. The total that day was 556, compared to 521 a week ago.
The disease has killed 1,310 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began more than two years ago, though no new deaths have been reported for weeks.
In the U.S., about 98.3 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed since the pandemic began, with more than 1.09 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.