New Mexico sets infection, death records

The state reported its two largest days of COVID-19 infections with four-digit days Thursday and Friday, including a record 1,082 cases Thursday.

Another record was reached Friday, with 13 deaths reported from COVID-19 to bring the state total to 1,007.

None of those deaths were recorded in Curry or Roosevelt counties, which accounted for 62 cases over Thursday and Friday.

Through Friday, Curry County had seen an October accounting for almost half of its total cases since the pandemic began in March — 851 of a total 1,615. Of those cases, 656 are designated as recovered.

For Roosevelt, the county had seen 285 new cases through Friday. That’s nearly 60% of the county’s total 478 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Of those cases, 218 are designated as recovered.

During a Thursday webinar, Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase compared the two highest days for COVID-19 deaths. On April 29, the 11 deaths included 10 nursing home residents. On Wednesday, the 11 deaths included one nursing home resident. Of the 16 deaths reported Thursday and Friday, one was a nursing home resident.

“The character of the mortality of this disease is changing,” Scrase said. “It’s driven by high numbers, younger people, as well as rising numbers in older individuals.”

Joining Scrase on the webinar was Jason Mitchell, chief medical officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Mitchell said the state has 290 available beds for COVID-19 patients, but can expand to 439 by closing all other areas and up to 623 through drastic measures that could include tents and bringing in staff that had been away from healthcare for years. Mitchell said the latter two were not places any hospital system wanted to reach.

Locally, Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis on Friday reported 18 COVID-19 patients, with six of them in ICU beds.

At the current infection trend that began in August, Mitchell fears the state will exceed the 439 mark in mid-November and the 623 in December. With dramatic improvement of COVID-safe practices, Mitchell said modeling could result in around 215 ICU beds used.

“This is a serious call of action for us as a community,” Mitchell said. “It is not hard to stop the spread of COVID in theory. It’s hard in practice.”

In other COVID-19 developments, locally and statewide:

• Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday ordered state flags to fly half-staff this week to mourn COVID-19 fatalities passing the 1,000 mark.

“One thousand New Mexican lives lost is an unfathomable tragedy,” she said. “For many months now, the daily drumbeat of a few more deaths, a few more deaths has served to diminish the acute feeling of loss. But it is tragic and real for me, every single day, because it is tragic and real for the New Mexican families with an empty seat at the table, a hole in their hearts that will never be filled. I pray for these families every single day. I ask you to please join me in praying for them – and acting to prevent any more needless loss.

“We can and will rebuild our mainstreets. We can and will restore our economy. We can and will recover the jobs and livelihoods that have been lost in the economic turmoil unleashed by the virus. But we cannot replace these souls, these lives, these loved ones. We cannot replace you. And the risk our state, our hospitals and our communities face has never, ever been greater than it is right now.”

• During their Thursday meeting, Curry County commissioners spoke about a conference call they had with the White House Coronavirus Task Force the prior weekend. Chairman Ben McDaniel said Curry was included on the call as one of 10 counties across the state experiencing COVID-19 spikes.

“We know our local hospital is being taxed,” McDaniel said. “They plan to do a big push for further testing in the next week or two, especially for these areas.”

As of Thursday, County Manager Lance Pyle said the county has had 12 employees test positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with most coming in October. An additional 11 employees were out Thursday while they waited on test results. The Curry County Adult Detention Center, Pyle said, had two active cases.

• In the past week, the state’s seven-day average of new cases climbed 15%, while hospitalizations rose 52% and deaths rose 42.9%.

The state had a spread rate of 1.11 and an average of 791 daily cases, well exceeding state targets of 1.05 and 168. The 9.47% test positivity rate is nearly double the state goal of 5%.

The 20-39 age group accounts for the most cases at 19.9%, followed by 30-39 at 18%. Death rates are highest among the oldest population, with nearly 6 in 10 deaths occurring for 70 and older — 36.4% 80 and older, 22.9% in the 70-79 range.

• According to contact tracing data from the DOH, shopping is the most noted activity reported during the last 14 days by people who test positive at just under 50%, which Scrase said is understandable because “everybody has to get groceries.” It is followed by restaurant and brewery visits at just under 20%. The other activities, all reported as less than 10%, were out-of-state travel, attending gatherings, visits to places of worship and visits to gyms.