October 27, 2020

590 new COVID-19 cases amid lull in testing after storm, four new reported deaths

The New Mexico Department of Health on Tuesday reported 590 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico and four additional deaths related to the disease. This came with a lower number of test results reported than in recent days, just 4,497 more tests than the previous day. Testing sites throughout the state were closed […]

Matthew Reichbach

The New Mexico Department of Health on Tuesday reported 590 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico and four additional deaths related to the disease.

This came with a lower number of test results reported than in recent days, just 4,497 more tests than the previous day. Testing sites throughout the state were closed on Monday because of the winter storm that has hit New Mexico. This was the lowest single-day total since early October.

For the second straight day, Doña Ana County had the most newly reported cases, this time with 163. Bernalillo County had the second-most cases, 141, but Luna County reported its record number of new cases with 95.

In all, DOH reported at least one case from 23 of the state’s 33 counties on Tuesday.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also increased again to a new record, with 309 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for the disease, 20 more than reported on Monday. This could include those from outside the state who are hospitalized for COVID-19, but would not include New Mexicans who are hospitalized in other states. DOH has said the number of those from out of state who are hospitalized is roughly balanced with New Mexicans who are hospitalized in other states.

DOH reported that 76 percent of general hospital beds are currently occupied, along with 69 percent of ICU beds. These include hospitalizations for all reasons, not just COVID-19.

The department provided some details on each of the four newly reported deaths.

A male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from Lea County who was a resident of Desert Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation in Hobbs.
A female in her 80s from Roosevelt County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 40s from Socorro County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

As usual, DOH did not disclose which underlying conditions any of the deceased had, only if one was present. According to the latest state epidemiology report, the most common underlying condition among those who have died in New Mexico so far is cardiovascular disease, followed by diabetes and hypertension. Some who have died had multiple conditions.

DOH has now found 43,169 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and reported 980 deaths related to the disease.

Of those confirmed cases, DOH has designated 21,063 as recovered, an increase of 153 since Monday’s announcement.

Testing details

According to the state coronavirus information webpage, the state has processed 1,129,419 tests as of Tuesday.

The positivity rate of Tuesday’s reported tests was 13.12 percent. For its gating criteria, DOH uses the positivity rate from the date tests were conducted, not when the test results were reported. This can lag, as some labs can take more time to process and report results.

DOH reported the following totals of newly reported cases by county:

141 new cases in Bernalillo County
1 new case in Catron County
15 new cases in Chaves County
2 new cases in Cibola County
7 new cases in Curry County
163 new cases in Doña Ana County
14 new cases in Eddy County
1 new case in Grant County
1 new case in Guadalupe County
7 new cases in Lea County
4 new cases in Lincoln County
95 new cases in Luna County
14 new cases in McKinley County
15 new cases in Otero County
5 new cases in Rio Arriba County
3 new cases in Roosevelt County
32 new cases in Sandoval County
24 new cases in San Juan County
19 new cases in Santa Fe County
5 new cases in Sierra County
3 new cases in Socorro County
1 new case in Taos County
17 new cases in Valencia County
1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility

DOH also reported the total number of cases by county, including those reported on Tuesday.

DOH identified five previously reported cases (three in Bernalillo County, one in Hidalgo County and one in San Juan County) as duplicates and two cases (one in Taos County and one in Valencia County) as not lab confirmed. These were corrected and removed from the totals.

DOH also said one previously reported case reported in Bernalillo County was determined to be an inmate at the Lea County Correctional Facility and one case reported in Valencia County was determined to be an inmate at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County. These have also been corrected.

Bernalillo County: 10,589
Catron County: 10
Chaves County: 2,016
Cibola County: 565
Colfax County: 44
Curry County: 1,555
De Baca County: 1
Doña Ana County: 5,980
Eddy County: 1,437
Grant County: 187
Guadalupe County: 42
Harding County: 1
Hidalgo County: 117
Lea County: 2,088
Lincoln County: 373
Los Alamos County: 44
Luna County: 959
McKinley County: 4,627
Mora County: 14
Otero County: 509
Quay County: 101
Rio Arriba County: 493
Roosevelt County: 452
Sandoval County: 1,981
San Juan County: 3,779
San Miguel County: 171
Santa Fe County: 1,692
Sierra County: 109
Socorro County: 231
Taos County: 224
Torrance County: 99
Union County: 39
Valencia County: 935

DOH reported the following numbers of COVID-19 cases among individuals held by federal agencies at the following facilities:

Cibola County Correctional Center: 348
Otero County Prison Facility: 388
Otero County Processing Center: 187
Torrance County Detention Facility: 44

DOH reported the following numbers of COVID-19 cases among individuals held by the New Mexico Corrections Department at the following facilities:

Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 90
Lea County Correctional Facility: 110
Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 5
Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 1
Otero County Prison Facility: 472
Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 1
Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 55
Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 4

DOH has identified at least one positive COVID-19 case in residents and/or staff in the past 28 days in 68 long-term care facilities, an increase of 1 since Monday.