7 more COVID-19 deaths in NM

As testing ramps up, state notes 153 new cases that have been confirmed

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has hit 169, as state health officials announced seven additional deaths Wednesday.

Four of the deaths occurred in McKinley County, which has been pummeled by the COVID-19 outbreak and has the state’s highest infection rate.

The other three deaths were a man in his 80s in Bernalillo County, a woman in her 60s in Bernalillo County, and a woman in her 90s from Santa Fe County.

With New Mexico’s testing capacity having been ramped up in recent weeks, state health officials also announced 153 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the state total to 4,291 cases. A total of 101 of the new cases were from McKinley or San Juan counties.

Meanwhile, the number of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 has also ticked up steadily in recent days. There are now 1,073 cases designated as having recovered by the state Department of Health, meaning roughly 25% of those infected have made a recovery.

The COVID-19 outbreak has also hit nursing homes and other group-living facilities hard. As of Wednesday, there were 29 such facilities statewide that had confirmed cases among residents or staff, according to the DOH.

The two latest decedents from Bernalillo County were residents of such facilities. One was a patient at Canyon Transitional Rehabilitation Center, while the other was a resident of Uptown Genesis, according to the agency.