May 31, 2020

State announces 69 new cases and five COVID-19 related deaths

On Sunday, state health officials announced five new deaths related to COVID-19 and 69 new cases of the illness in a partial update.The state said the update is missing results from private labs, due to a “technical delay.” The missing results will be included in Monday’s update. The state’s total of COVID-19 cases is now […]

Kendra Chamberlain

On Sunday, state health officials announced five new deaths related to COVID-19 and 69 new cases of the illness in a partial update.The state said the update is missing results from private labs, due to a “technical delay.” The missing results will be included in Monday’s update.

The state’s total of COVID-19 cases is now at 7,689 cases reported since the pandemic began. There are now 356 deaths recorded in the state related to the illness. Four of the five new deaths were in San Juan County, the fifth death was in McKinley County.

The five new deaths were:

A female in her 80s from McKinley County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 60s from San Juan County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Cedar Ridge Inn facility in Farmington.
A male in his 90s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington.
A second male in his 90s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington.

Health officials did not disclose the specific underlying medical condition of each individual.

There are 182 individuals currently hospitalized for COVID-19, a decrease of seven since Saturday. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico, but does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.

The Department of Health said there are 2,853 COVID-19 cases designated as recovered, an increase of 18 cases since Saturday.

Testing details

The state has processed a total of 199,604 tests as of Sunday, an increase of 5,157 tests since Saturday.

Double-digit increases in new cases came from San Juan (19), Bernalillo (12) and McKinley (11) counties.

The most recent cases are:

12 new cases in Bernalillo County
2 new cases in Chaves County
2 new cases in Cibola County
1 new case in Curry County
6 new cases in Doña Ana County
2 new cases in Eddy County
11 new cases in McKinley County
3 new cases in Rio Arriba County
2 new cases in Roosevelt County
2 new cases in Sandoval County
19 new cases in San Juan County
2 new cases in Santa Fe County
1 new case in Valencia County
4 new cases among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility

DOH said it has corrected previously reported errors in cases, including two cases that were identified as duplicates (one in McKinley County, one in San Juan County); one case in McKinley County they determined to be an out-of-state resident; and one case in Taos County that was not lab confirmed.

The county breakdown of total cases now reflects those corrections, and includes the 69 newly-announced cases:

Bernalillo County: 1,476
Catron County: 2
Chaves County: 47
Cibola County: 141
Colfax County: 5
Curry County: 52
Doña Ana County: 466
Eddy County: 22
Grant County: 15
Guadalupe County: 20
Harding County: 1
Hidalgo County: 1
Lea County: 26
Lincoln County: 2
Los Alamos County: 6
Luna County: 8
McKinley County: 2,415
Otero County: 22
Quay County: 5
Rio Arriba County: 47
Roosevelt County: 40
Sandoval County: 568
San Juan County: 1,733
San Miguel County: 15
Santa Fe County: 142
Sierra County: 1
Socorro County: 50
Taos County: 24
Torrance County: 32
Union County: 4
Valencia County: 74

DOH reported the following totals of confirmed cases among those held by federal agencies, which includes four new cases reported at the Otero County Prison Facility:

Cibola County Correctional Center: 2
Otero County Prison Facility: 70
Otero County Processing Center: 92
Torrance County Detention Facility: 18

The total confirmed cases among individuals held by the New Mexico Corrections Department remain unchanged since Saturday. They are:

Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 1
Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 2
Otero County Prison Facility: 42

Under the current state public health order, all residents must wear cloth masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The state said medical-grade masks should be saved for first responders and medical personnel. Many non-essential businesses can now operate at 25 percent capacity or with curbside service. Restaurants can now serve dine-in customers outdoors, including on patios. More restrictions will be lifted on June 1.

The state will allow any worker to get tested for COVID-19, regardless of symptoms. The state advises individuals who are experiencing symptoms of a COVID-19 infection—fever, cough, or shortness of breath—to call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately (1-855-600-3453). Those with non-health-related questions or concerns can also call 833-551-0518 or visit https://newmexico.gov.

Correction: This story originally said the total number of deaths was 351; it is 356.