May 20, 2020

State announces seven deaths and 134 new cases of COVID-19

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced seven new deaths related to COVID-19 and 134 new cases of the illness during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. A total of 6,317 individuals in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 and a total of 283 deaths are attributed to the illness. The seven deaths include 3 from McKinley […]

Kendra Chamberlain

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced seven new deaths related to COVID-19 and 134 new cases of the illness during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. A total of 6,317 individuals in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 and a total of 283 deaths are attributed to the illness.

The seven deaths include 3 from McKinley County and 4 from San Juan County. Those deaths are:

A female in her 50s from McKinley County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A female in her 70s from McKinley County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
A male in his 70s from McKinley 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 Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington.
A second female in her 80s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was hospitalized.
A female in her 90s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was hospitalized.
A male in his 80s from San Juan County. The individual had underlying conditions and was a resident of the San Juan Center facility in Farmington.

The state does not provide information on the underlying medical conditions.

The state Department of Health said that 206 individuals are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, a decrease of two over Tuesday’s announced total, and 58 individuals are currently on ventilators, an increase of six since the last ventilator update on May 15. The state does not report the number of people on ventilators each day.

The state also announced that 1,985 cases of COVID-19 are now designated as recovered, an increase of 103 over Tuesday’s announced total.

Testing details

The state has now processed 147,244 tests, an increase of 4,998 tests over Tuesday’s numbers. Most of the new cases came from Bernalillo (30), McKinley (25), San Juan (25) and Sandoval (22) counties. All other counties reporting new cases had only single-digit increases.

The new cases include:

30 new cases in Bernalillo County
1 new case in Chaves County
3 new cases in Cibola County
1 new case in Curry County
4 new cases in Doña Ana County
25 new cases in McKinley County
1 new case in Roosevelt County
22 new cases in Sandoval County
25 new cases in San Juan County
1 new case in Santa Fe County
1 new case in Valencia County

The state also provided new cases documented in corrections facilities or prisons. Those include:

1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility
19 new cases new cases among federal detainees at the ICE Otero County Processing Center

DOH said three cases reported Tuesday were determined to be out-of-state residents (two in Roosevelt County and one in McKinley County) and six cases were identified as duplicates, including one in Bernalillo County, two in McKinley County, one among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility, one in San Juan County, and one in Doña Ana County).

Those issues have been corrected in the state’s latest county and federal facility totals, which includes the new cases:

Bernalillo County: 1,254
Catron County: 2
Chaves County: 32
Cibola County: 111
Colfax County: 5
Curry County: 44
Doña Ana County: 322
Eddy County: 17
Grant County: 16
Guadalupe County: 19
Harding County: 1
Hidalgo County: 1
Lea County: 18
Lincoln County: 3
Los Alamos County: 6
Luna County: 8
McKinley County: 2,009
Otero County: 8
Quay County: 5
Rio Arriba County: 33
Roosevelt County: 26
Sandoval County: 520
San Juan County: 1,432
San Miguel County: 10
Santa Fe County: 127
Sierra County: 1
Socorro County: 49
Taos County: 22
Torrance County: 19
Union County: 3
Valencia County: 69

County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.

Total cases among individuals held by the New Mexico Corrections Department include:

Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 1
Otero County Prison Facility: 21

And DOH’s breakdown of cases by county and correction facilities or prisons now include:

Cibola County Correctional Center: 2
Otero County Prison Facility: 38
Otero County Processing Center: 62
Torrance County Detention Facility: 1

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, though restaurants may not serve dine-in customers.

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: The state initially reported a new case in Torrance County, which it later said was incorrect. The error was only in the newly listed cases and has been removed.