December 16, 2020

DOH: 1,816 new COVID-19 cases, 43 new deaths

The state Department of Health reported 1,816 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The department also reported 43 additional deaths related to the disease. The 43 deaths matched the third-most in a single day, on Dec. 11, and was just one behind the record of 44, which happened twice, on Dec. 3 and Dec. 13. […]

Matthew Reichbach

The state Department of Health reported 1,816 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The department also reported 43 additional deaths related to the disease.

The 43 deaths matched the third-most in a single day, on Dec. 11, and was just one behind the record of 44, which happened twice, on Dec. 3 and Dec. 13.

Bernalillo County had the most newly reported cases on Wednesday, with 569. Four other counties had 100 or more newly reported cases on Wednesday: San Juan County (151), McKinley County (109), Sandoval County (105) and Lea County (101).

DOH also reported 36 new cases among inmates at five New Mexico Corrections Department facilities.

On Wednesday, the department reported 838 individuals were hospitalized for COVID-19, a decrease of 27 people since Tuesday. This could include those from other states who are hospitalized in New Mexico, but would not include New Mexicans who are hospitalized out of state.

DOH provided some information on each of the 43 newly reported deaths.

A male in his 50s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 70s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A second female in her 70s from Bernalillo County who was a resident of the Atria Vista del Rio facility in Albuquerque.
A male in his 70s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 80s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions who was a resident of the Odelia Healthcare facility in Albuquerque.
A male in his 60s from Chaves County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 70s from Chaves County who was a resident of the Mission Arch Center in Roswell.
A female in her 80s from Chaves County who was hospitalized.
A male in his 80s from Chaves County who was hospitalized and was a resident of the Mission Arch Center in Roswell.
A female in her 70s from Cibola County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from Colfax County who was a resident of the Raton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
A male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Casa de Oro Center in Las Cruces.
A second male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A third male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A fourth male in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A second female in her 80s from Doña Ana County.
A female in her 70s from Grant who had underlying conditions.
A male in his 80s from Lea County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 40s from Lincoln County who was hospitalized.
A female in her 40s from McKinley County who had underlying conditions.
A male in his 60s from McKinley County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from McKinley County who was hospitalized.
A female in her 70s from Quay County who was hospitalized.
A male in his 60s from Rio Arriba County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 90s from Rio Arriba County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Sierra Vista Retirement Community facility in Santa Fe.
A male in his 50s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A second male in his 50s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 70s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A second male in his 70s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 100s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions. She was a patient at the Odelia Healthcare facility in Albuquerque.
A male in his 60s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 70s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A second male in his 70s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from Santa Fe County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Sierra Vista Retirement Community facility in Santa Fe.
A male in his 80s from Santa Fe County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Sierra Vista Retirement Community facility in Santa Fe.
A male in his 70s from Sierra County who was hospitalized.
A male in his 80s from Sierra County.
A male in his 90s from Sierra County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of the New Mexico State Veterans Home in Truth or Consequences.
A female in her 100s from Sierra County who was a resident of the New Mexico State Veterans Home in Truth or Consequences.
A male in his 50s from Socorro County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 80s from Taos County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

DOH does not disclose which underlying condition any of the deceased had, only if one was present before death.

The most common underlying condition for those who died with COVID-19 was hypertension, followed by diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to the most recently available mortality update. Some of those who died had multiple comorbidities.

DOH has now found 124,357 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and reported 2,049 deaths related to the disease.

Of the confirmed cases, 49,609 were designated as recovered by the department as of Wednesday, an increase of 1,504 since Tuesday.

The New Mexico Environment Department’s Rapid Response COVID-19 Watchlist had 163 establishments as of Wednesday, six more than listed on Tuesday. These workplaces had two or more COVID-19 rapid responses in the last 14 days.

Gating Criteria

The number of daily cases continued to fall from its pre-Thanksgiving peak, but remained well above the numbers seen earlier in the year.

As of Dec. 10, the latest day for which numbers were available, the seven-day rolling average of confirmed cases was 1,354.

This came as the number of tests processed dropped from its late-November and early-December peak, to 11,573 on a seven-day rolling average as of Dec. 13. Because of this, the positivity rate remained at 13.5 percent on a seven-day rolling average as of Dec. 13.

Testing details

The state coronavirus information page says the state has processed 1,767,408 tests as of Wednesday, 11,982 more than reported on Tuesday.

DOH provided the number of newly reported cases on Wednesday, by county.

569 new cases in Bernalillo County
1 new case in Catron County
86 new cases in Chaves County
14 new cases in Cibola County
15 new cases in Colfax County
20 new cases in Curry County
2 new cases in De Baca County
94 new cases in Doña Ana County
68 new cases in Eddy County
27 new cases in Grant County
4 new cases in Guadalupe County
4 new cases in Hidalgo County
101 new cases in Lea County
7 new cases in Lincoln County
3 new cases in Los Alamos County
13 new cases in Luna County
109 new cases in McKinley County
1 new case in Mora County
18 new cases in Otero County
2 new cases in Quay County
50 new cases in Rio Arriba County
58 new cases in Roosevelt County
105 new cases in Sandoval County
151 new cases in San Juan County
22 new cases in San Miguel County
94 new cases in Santa Fe County
9 new cases in Sierra County
15 new cases in Socorro County
14 new cases in Taos County
3 new cases in Torrance County
3 new cases in Union County
98 new cases in Valencia County
1 new case among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County
12 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility
15 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Lea County Correctional Facility
2 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County
6 new cases among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County

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

Fifteen cases previously reported by DOH were identified as duplicates (four in Bernalillo County, two in Chaves County, two in Doña Ana County, two in Luna County, two in Valencia County, one in Lincoln County, one in Santa Fe County and one among inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County) and one previously reported case in Bernalillo County that was not lab confirmed. These have been corrected.