On Saturday, the New Mexico Department of Health announced fourteen new positive tests for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in New Mexico to 57.
This is the first day the state reported double-digits of new positive cases, which included the first case in Lea County in southeastern New Mexico. Of the new cases, the majority—nine—are in Bernalillo County.
The new cases in Bernalillo are:
- A female in her 70s
- A female in her 60s
- Two males in their 40s
- Two males in their 30s
- A female in her 30s
- A female in her 20s
- A male infant
The Lea County case is a male in his 70s.
Update (3/22): Sunday update: Eight new positive coronavirus cases; 65 total
The other cases are: A female in her 20s from Doña Ana County; a female in her 40s from Sandoval County; a male in his 50s from Santa Fe County; and a female in her 50s in Taos County.
The DOH provided a breakdown of all cases, including the newly reported tests from Saturday.
- Bernalillo County: 32
- Doña Ana County: 2
- Lea County: 1
- McKinley County: 1
- Sandoval County: 7
- San Miguel County: 1
- Santa Fe County: 8
- Socorro County: 2
- Taos County: 3
The tests are conducted by the Scientific Laboratory Division of the DOH and TriCore Reference Laboratories. The labs conducted 4,140 tests through the announcement.
The DOH has active investigations into the positive patients, including contact tracing and swabs of symptomatic individuals who have had contact with the positive cases, according to the release.
The state continues to say residents should aggressively minimize person-to-person contact, and has implemented a number of harsh restrictions to slow the spread of the disease, which is caused by a coronavirus. These include the closure of many businesses, banning gatherings of more than ten people and only allowing takeout or delivery from restaurants and bars.
The state says that residents should only travel for necessary reasons and that anyone who travels out of state should self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return.
Residents who feel symptoms of COVID-19 infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, are encouraged to call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately at 855-600-3453. The state said in its release that it needs to prioritize testing for residents showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Residents who are not showing those symptoms are currently asked not to seek COVID-19 tests. The DOH reminds residents that this is allergy season, and allergy symptoms such as sneezing or itchy eyes, nose or throat do not indicate a need for testing.
Residents who have non-health-related questions or concerns can call 833-551-0518 or visit newmexico.gov for more information.
