Virus cases hit new high in New Mexico
State sees 875 new cases — 48 in Santa Fe.
New Mexico set a single-day record of 875 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday as a wave of infections continued to spread.
The spiraling outbreak has mirrored a surge across the Mountain West, leading to tighter restrictions on travel and commerce.
Still, the numbers have continued to rise. In New Mexico, 264 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 on Saturday, up from 229 on Friday.
Overall, 80 percent of the state’s general hospital beds and 76 percent of intensive care beds were full, health officials said.
“The virus is spreading because New Mexicans are giving the virus opportunities to spread,” said Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office. “The tools to stop the spread of COVID-19 remain the same — it has never been more critical that every one of us buckle down and use them.”
Sackett urged residents to stay home except for absolutely necessary outings. If you must go out, wear a mask, she said.
New Mexico’s previous one-day high was 827 cases on Wednesday. The areas seeing the most rapid spread are Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties, which reported a combined 376 cases Saturday, or 43 percent of the statewide total.
Santa Fe County added 48 cases, while Lea County had 51, Chaves County had 47, Sandoval County had 42 and Luna County had 41, according to the state Department of Health.
An additional 27 cases were detected at correctional facilities, including 19 infections at the Otero County Prison Facility.
New Mexico has had 41,040 confirmed infections since the pandemic began in mid-March.
Health officials also reported five more deaths: two in Bernalillo County and one each in Chaves, Doña Ana and Socorro counties. In all, 965 people in New Mexico have died of COVID-19.
As of Saturday, 20,765 people in New Mexico had recovered from the illness.