December 14, 2020

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (12/14/20 edition)

U.S. Army

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See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.

  • The state reported over 5,100 new COVID-19 cases and 111 deaths related to the disease over the last three days. DOH reported 1,849 cases and 43 deaths on Friday, 1,803 new cases and 24 new deaths on Saturday and 1,459 new cases and 44 new deaths on Sunday. The 44 deaths matched the single-day high so far in the state.
    • Cases have been dropping in New Mexico, the USA Today Network reported. The positivity rate was still much higher than the 5 percent the state and health officials say should be the upper limit.
    • Many places on the COVID-19 watchlist are grocery and big box stores, KRQE-TV reported.
  • The Santa Fe New Mexican had a big story about the situation in Christus St. Vincent’s Frost 19 ward. Robert Nott wrote, “this is the reality of the coronavirus pandemic, now in its ninth month — an endless battle in which the essence of human existence reveals itself, seemingly at random — both to those fighting the disease and those struggling to keep them alive.”
  • The Santa Fe New Mexican covered what to expect as vaccines start to be distributed throughout the state. The initial batch will be for frontline healthcare workers.
  • Lovelace Medical is planning on starting to provide vaccinations for staff within days, KOAT-TV reported.
  • Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo will get 250 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for frontline healthcare workers, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
  • There will be no in-person learning for students until at least Jan. 18, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
  • The pandemic has led to more trouble finding childcare for working parents, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
  • Nursing homes in Santa Fe are having a difficult time keeping the spirits of residents up ahead of the holiday season, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
  • State legislative leaders will discuss what next year’s legislative session will look like with COVID-19 restrictions in place, KOB-TV reported.
  • Two members of the Roswell City Council spoke about their experience with COVID-19, and the impacts they continue to have a month after they were first diagnosed, the Roswell Daily Record reported.
  • Tens of thousands of low-income residents who did not receive a COVID-19 relief payment earlier this year have sent in applications for state funds, the Associated Press reported.
  • The City of Aztec voted to pay utility bills for those who were unable to do so during the pandemic using CARES Act funding, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
  • The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant reported that 16 more workers tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total at the nuclear waste facility to 161, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
  • Bueno Foods will partner with the state for COVID-19 testing for employees and the community, KRQE-TV reported.
  • The Farmington City Council will have an update on COVID-19, including an invitation to representatives from the San Juan Regional Medical Center, the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management and the Farmington Fire Department, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
  • The Alamogordo Public Library will restart curbside pickup, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
  • Some handed out baked goods and hot chocolate to those waiting in line at grocery stores in Las Cruces this weekend, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
  • Customers at the Railyards market waited in line for hours for drive-thru pickup, KRQE-TV reported.

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