Three covid deaths reported Wednesday in Parmer County

Three COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Parmer County on Wednesday and the state of New Mexico recorded more than 400 new cases of the virus.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon to address the pandemic and efforts to stem it.

Parmer County, which includes the Texas communities of Farwell, Friona and Bovina, now has the most recorded covid deaths among local counties with 11 in all, four since Sept. 30.

Parmer County Judge Trey Ellis said Wednesday he was out of town and did not know where the most recent deaths have occurred.

Texas Health and Human Services statistics through Sept. 23 show five residents of Prairie Acres nursing home in Friona have died, along with one resident of Farwell Care and Rehabilitation Center.

The Texas Department of Health, which releases total case and death updates daily, shows Parmer recorded its first death in more than a month on Sept. 30, then three more deaths on Wednesday.

In New Mexico, state health officials say just nine people have died with covid so far this month, including two on Wednesday. But the number of positive cases of the coronavirus has averaged 277 over the past week, well above the state’s goal of 168, which it was exceeding last month.

Wednesday’s total of 426 new cases is the second-highest single-day total since the pandemic began. Curry County reported 20 new cases on Wednesday and has averaged almost 14 per day over the past week. Curry County had averaged just 3.2 new cases per day most of September.

Also alarming, health officials have noted, is the number of New Mexico patients hospitalized with COVID-19 – 109 on Wednesday, compared to fewer than 50 one day last month.

We will have additional information as it becomes available.