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See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.

• The state of New Mexico had another day with a record number of single-day cases, with 1,500 new cases. Hospitalizations also hit a new high, as the virus continues its uncontrolled spread throughout the state. Read more here.
  • The state also had a big jump in the number of tests, but the daily increase in tests was still 9,457 according to a spokeswoman for the governor’s office.
    From Nora Meyers Sackett:
    • “Today’s daily increase in the number of tests conducted was 9,457. The total number of COVID-19 tests conducted was also updated with an additional 25,840 tests, the vast majority of which were negative – to be clear, these are tests from which the results have already been reported. NMDOH receives testing numbers from a number of sources and due to the raw volume of numbers, there are unfortunately occasions in which the systems start to strain, but it does not affect all positives being reported and investigated immediately.”
  • Southeastern New Mexico is of particular concern to state health experts, KRQE-TV reported.
• Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed a new Health Secretary on Wednesday, choosing Dr. Tracie Collins, the dean of Population Health at the University of New Mexico, to lead the key department. Read more here.
• On Wednesday, the Navajo Nation reported 98 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death related to the disease.
• As state health officials warn hospitals are running out of room, there is no indication that the old Lovelace hospital site in Albuquerque will be used, the Albuquerque Journal reported. One problem? A lack of medical staff in the state.
• An ICU doctor at the University of New Mexico Center of Adult Critical Care urged New Mexicans to wear masks and stay socially distanced, KRQE-TV reported. 
  • A traveling ICU nurse also spoke to KRQE-TV about her experience treating COVID-19.
• San Juan Regional Medical Center is bringing back restrictions for visitors because of COVID-19, the Farmington Daily Times reported. The hospital’s public relations coordinator told the newspaper that it currently has 37 COVID-19 patients.
• The Albuquerque Journal wrote about the work still being done at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center during the pandemic.
• The Las Cruces Sun-News wrote about the lawsuit by Stampede Meat over the state-mandated closure for too many COVID-19 rapid responses from the Environment Department.
• A Target in Santa Fe has at least four confirmed cases of COVID-19, which should prompt a mandatory fourteen-day closure, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• Business owners are bracing for possible closures after changes in the state’s public health order because of the spread of COVID-19, KOB-TV reported.
• Four Taos County employees tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total for employees to eight in the last month, the Taos News reported.
• The Munson Center in Las Cruces will be closed after a positive COVID-19 test at the City of Las Cruces Senior Programs, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
• Food banks in northern New Mexico are seeing unprecedented demand, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• Correction: In yesterday’s edition, the newsletter said Santa Fe Public Schools was halting remote learning. It should have said hybrid learning would end.