Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (4/2/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every Friday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. As of Thursday, the state Department of Health reported 191,945 total cases of COVID-19 and 3,942 deaths related to the disease. As of Thursday, 96 individuals were hospitalized for COVID-19, the fewest since Oct. 5.However, DOH reported 297 cases on Thursday and 277 cases on Wednesday, the first two days with more than 250 cases since March 10.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/12/21 edition): NM came close to rationing care

In case you didn’t see the past two days: The COVID-19 recap will be moving to a weekly format next week. 

Thursday was the one-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 in New Mexico and the anniversary of the first public health emergency. While the tone of a press conference with cabinet-level officials (see links below for coverage) was largely optimistica year into the pandemic, Human Services Department Secretary Dr. David Scrase mentioned his “hardest day,” December 14. The state had been looking at ways to expand capacity since late November, as cases and hospitalizations continued to grow. But the hospitalizations just kept growing. And the idea of instituting crisis standards of care and ration of care loomed as a real possibility.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/11/21 edition)

See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. We began the COVID-19 recap at NM Political Report on March 11 of last year. Since then, we have published hundreds of editions of the recap, including seven days a week for several weeks, then for most weekdays following. In recent weeks, the daily recaps have been getting shorter and shorter, as COVID-19 news starts to slow down. Starting next week, we will go to a weekly format, with a post each Friday recapping the week’s news from around the state.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/10/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. We began the COVID-19 recap at NM Political Report on March 11 of last year. Since then, we have published hundreds of editions of the recap, including seven days a week for several weeks, then for most weekdays following. In recent weeks, the daily recaps have been getting shorter and shorter, as COVID-19 news starts to slow down.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/5/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. The state Department of Health reported 259 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday according to raw data and 16 additional deaths related to the disease. The department reported 177 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Thursday, a new months-long low for the metric.The state is now below 300 daily cases on a seven-day average, the Albuquerque Journal noted.The state’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard said the state has administered 627,665 doses as of Thursday—401,020 primary doses and 226,665 secondary doses. This does not include any doses administered out of the 196,420 received by the Veterans Administration, Indian Health Service or Bureau of Prisons, which each administer the doses directly.As of Monday, 77.8 percent of those on the Navajo Nation had received at least one COVID-19 shot, with 28.1 percent of the population fully vaccinated, per the Navajo Times.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/4/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. The state reported 359 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, including 37 at the Lea County Correctional Facility. The state also reported 13 additional deaths related to the disease. As of Wednesday, 195 people were hospitalized in New Mexico for the disease.Health officials spoke about the state’s vaccination efforts and about keeping an eye on Texas as they are poised to stop all COVID-19 capacity restrictions and the state’s mask mandate.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/3/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. The state of New Mexico reported 247 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 11 additional deaths related to the disease. The number of those hospitalized for COVID-19 rose to 199. The state reported 2,710,151 test cumulative test results as of Tuesday, an increase of 10,359 over Monday’s total.Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke to The Washington Post in a live webcast about the state’s COVID-19 relief and vaccination efforts.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/2/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. The state Department of Health reported just 166 new cases on Monday, with 13 additional deaths related to the disease. While it was with fewer reported tests than average, it still was the fewest in a single day since mid-October. Hospitalizations also continue to plummet.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (3/1/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. This weekend, the state of New Mexico reported 275 new cases and 15 additional deaths on Saturday and 245 new cases and 16 additional deaths related to COVID-19 on Sunday. As of Sunday, the number of those hospitalized for COVID-19 reached 192—the first day with fewer than 200 hospitalized since Oct. 19.

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (2/26/21 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. The state Department of Health reported 299 newly reported cases of COVID-19 and 13 additional deaths. The department also reported 245 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Thursday.Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and top health officials were very positive about COVID-19 efforts in the state during a press conference on Thursday, where the DOH secretary gave more information on vaccinations, including on boosting supplies for seniors. Read more here.DOH Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said the state is ready to distribute the Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it is approved for emergency use authorization by the FDA, as is expected soon, KRQE-TV reported.The Albuquerque Journal wrote about the state’s emphasis on administering more COVID-19 vaccine doses to seniors.The state of New Mexico unveiled its vaccine equity plan, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.Vaccinations remain available at Indian Health Service’s service units in the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Times reported.The state Public Education Department said the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests is down, while the number of tests is up, KRQE-TV reported.A teachers union that represents teachers in Los Lunas filed a prohibited practice complaint against the district, saying the district did not include the union in discussions to return to in-person learning, the Valencia County News-Bulletin reported.Restaurants in Socorro are struggling during the pandemic, the city’s El Defensor Chieftan reported.Private schools in Valencia County have continued in-person learning during the pandemic, the Valencia County News-Bulletin reported.The Albuquerque Isotopes and New Mexico United, the state’s two professional sports teams, are happy about the prospect of playing at home, in front of fans, KOB-TV reported.New Mexico State University was supposed to host the WAC volleyball tournament this year, but announced Thursday that it would not happen, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science will close until March 17 after four positive cases by staff members, all of which were contracted outside the workplace, the Albuquerque Journal reported.The Village of Tijeras will open a drive-in movie theater on Saturday, the Albuquerque Journal reported.An Albuquerque megachurch is still claiming its violation of the state’s public health order over Christamas was a protest and has appealed the $10,000 fine it received, KOB-TV reported.