State health officials announced 47 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the lowest amount of new cases announced in a single day in several months, though the state had processed fewer tests than in most recent days as well.
The number of processed tests increased by fewer than 2,900 tests on Tuesday over Monday’s numbers, the lowest number in over a month. Not counting Tuesday, the state had averaged just under 4,500 tests per day since June 1.
A spokeswoman for the governor said that this was because the state laboratories and TriCore Reference Laboratories simply had fewer tests to process.
The last day with 47 or fewer cases was April 19, which had a lower number of processed tests because of a technical error with processing some tests that occurred on a number of Sundays.
With Tuesday’s announcement, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is now 9,105.
The department also announced that they designated 3,699 of the confirmed cases as recovered, an increase of 319 over Monday’s announcement, a larger-than-usual increase.
The state also announced four additional deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 404.
The state Department of Health provided some details on each of the four residents who died, but did not disclose specific information on any, including which specific underlying condition they suffered from.
- A male in his 80s from Bernalillo County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Robin House Assisted Living Center in Albuquerque.
- A male in his 30s from Cibola County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
- A male in his 30s from McKinley County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
- A female in her 70s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
DOH also announced that 193 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of 10 people since Monday. This number could include those who tested positive for COVID-19 in other states but are now hospitalized in New Mexico, but would not include those who tested positive in New Mexico and are now hospitalized in other states.
Test details
The state has processed 241,657 COVID-19 tests according to the DOH’s coronavirus information page, an increase of 2,856 over Monday’s number. This is the lowest one-day total of newly announced tests since May 6, when the state processed 2,433 tests.
Of the newly confirmed cases, two more came from those held by the state Department of Corrections at the Otero County Prison Facility. The facility, which houses both state and federal inmates, has seen a massive increase in positive tests in recent weeks.
- 12 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 1 new case in Cibola County
- 2 new cases in Doña Ana County
- 1 new case in Lea County
- 12 new cases in McKinley County
- 1 new case in Otero County
- 4 new cases in Sandoval County
- 9 new cases in San Juan County
- 3 new cases in Santa Fe County
- 2 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Otero County Prison Facility
Additionally, the state provided a corrected number of total cases, including Tuesday’s cases, by county.
Two previously reported cases (one in McKinley County and another among state Department of Corrections inmates held at the Otero County Prison Facility) were found to be duplicates, while two (one in Chaves County and one in Quay County) were determined to be out-of-state residents. These have been corrected.
DOH also announced three previously reported cases at the Otero County Prison Facility that were attributed to those held by federal agencies were determined to be among those held by the state Department of Corrections, and one case previously reported as being held by the state Department of Corrections at the same facility was actually a federal inmate. These have also been corrected.
- Bernalillo County: 1,612
- Catron County: 2
- Chaves County: 48
- Cibola County: 169
- Colfax County: 5
- Curry County: 64
- Doña Ana County: 589
- Eddy County: 38
- Grant County: 15
- Guadalupe County: 20
- Harding County: 1
- Hidalgo County: 1
- Lea County: 33
- Lincoln County: 5
- Los Alamos County: 6
- Luna County: 12
- McKinley County: 2,757
- Otero County: 28
- Quay County: 4
- Rio Arriba County: 57
- Roosevelt County: 45
- Sandoval County: 604
- San Juan County: 1,999
- San Miguel County: 16
- Santa Fe County: 158
- Sierra County: 1
- Socorro County: 55
- Taos County: 31
- Torrance County: 35
- Union County: 5
- Valencia County: 81
Confirmed cases among those held by federal agencies at the following facilities:
- Cibola County Correctional Center: 2
- Otero County Prison Facility: 273
- Otero County Processing Center: 92
- Torrance County Detention Facility: 18
Confirmed cases among those held by the state Department of Corrections at the following facilities:
- Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 1
- Otero County Prison Facility: 222
- Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 1
DOH also said that at least one resident or staff member at 44 acute care or long-term care facilities has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 28 days.
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. Most non-essential businesses have reopened in limited capacity, including restaurants. 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.
Update: Added why there were fewer tests.
