Curry, Roosevelt report high infection totals

SANTA FE — With 92 new cases of COVID-19 reported Monday, Curry County had its highest weekend total in more than three months.

But Monday’s release from the New Mexico Department of Health had staggering numbers for many other counties, with five counties recording triple-digit cases as part of a 3,110-case weekend. The top county for new cases was Bernalillo with 1,158.

Roosevelt County confirmed 19 cases, along with two of the 37 reported deaths. The deaths, which put Roosevelt’s total to 75, were a male in his 50s and a male in his 70s. Both were hospitalized, with the latter having underlying conditions. The state has reached 5,614 total COVID-19 deaths, including 135 in Curry County.

Roosevelt County has reported 390 cases through Dec. 20 -- already the most in a single month since it had 508 last December. Roosevelt reported 248 cases in all of November 2021.

Of Curry County’s 92 total cases reported Monday, 88 originated from the 88101 ZIP code. That put it at eighth among New Mexico ZIP codes., with Albuquerque’s 87013 ZIP code recording 226.

The last time Curry recorded triple-digit cases in a weekend report came on Sept. 7, which was a four-day compilation due to the Labor Day holiday. The last triple-digit case report from a three-day weekend came on Aug. 30, when the county recorded 137 new cases.

Curry County has had 662 cases through Dec. 20. The only months with more this year were September (741), August (869) and January (705). So December is well on its way to the most in a month since November 2020 when Curry had 1,559.

New Mexico has had a total of 339,894 COVID-19 cases, with 292,938 cases designated as recovered. The state reported 539 hospitalizations on Monday, down from 610 a week ago.