Officials: New surge likely after holidays
Governor urges New Mexicans to rethink plans as deaths spike
While a vast majority of counties in New Mexico are making progress in the fight against COVID-19 and more doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine are expected next week, state health officials are bracing for another surge after the holidays.
“There will be another spike, is what we’re anticipating,” Dr. Tracie Collins, New Mexico’s newly appointed health secretary, said during a virtual news conference Thursday.
“Hopefully I’m wrong, but we just need to encourage people to really reconsider how you handle and engage this Christmas holiday,” she said. “It cannot be the same.”
The warning came as the state reported 48 additional COVID-19 deaths, a record for a single day in New Mexico, bringing the total death toll to 2,097.
The newly reported fatalities included four Santa Fe County residents: a woman in her
70s and three men ranging in age from their 50s to their 90s.
“I am very concerned that 48 [deaths] may not be the highest number we see in the next several weeks,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during the news conference, which was broadcast on Facebook Live.
“Remember, this is a deadly virus and it doesn’t care how old you are,” the governor cautioned later. “Everyone’s at risk. And even if you do well — no symptoms, survive — the person that you give it to may not fare so well. So, we’re bracing, but please New Mexicans, try to rethink your holiday.”
Despite concerns about what might be in store after the new year, the state reported positive trends in most counties under a tiered system it uses to determine the COVID-19 risk level. Officials also reported that another shipment of Pfizer’s vaccine is expected next week, followed by doses from Moderna, and New Mexicans soon should have access to at-home COVID-19 tests.
Since the governor imposed a two-week economic shutdown to try to blunt the spread of the virus, almost every county has either lowered its daily case rates or test positivity rates, bringing them closer to a level that would ease their restrictions on activities such as indoor dining.
“The state’s positivity rate as a whole has come down,” Lujan Grisham said. “I’m really incredibly encouraged by how well we’re doing, so let’s keep it up.”
Lujan Grisham called the distribution of vaccines a “huge development.”
The state this week received 17,550 doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, which were distributed to hospitals and three pueblos. Collins said another shipment of at least the same number — or as many as 30,000 doses — is inbound.
The state also is expecting a shipment of Moderna vaccine, which received an endorsement Thursday from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel. FDA approval could come as early as Friday.
“Pending FDA approval, we’re preparing to receive Moderna, and that vaccine will actually go primarily to residents and staff and longterm care facilities,” Collins said.
“It’s been a rough nine months,” she said, “but … we just need to hang on. We are not out of the woods, so we must maintain COVID-safe practices.”
State officials also said an at-home test soon will be available to New Mexico residents.
“We are already using these at-home testing kits for early childhood and child care workers; we are rapidly in a position to be expanding that statewide,” Lujan Grisham said. “We’re not quite there, but it’s eminent.”
Even with the positive developments, the situation is dire, the governor said, adding health care providers and hospitals continue to be overwhelmed.
“It took 234 days [between March 11 and Oct. 30] for New Mexico to reach 1,000 COVID19 deaths — a terrible, grim milestone,” Lujan Grisham said. “It has only taken 48 days [between Oct. 31 and Dec. 16] for New Mexico to go from 1,000 to 2,000 deaths. You can see the exponential rate at which infections are occurring, hospitalizations are occurring, people who need ventilators, how that is occurring and how many people we’re losing to this deadly virus. We have the ability to change this trajectory.”
Lujan Grisham said she will have a “Zoom Christmas” next week and encouraged others to do the same.
“We expect … that people will get together, and it feels like it’s low risk, and it isn’t,” she said. “You can’t wear a mask and eat a biscochito. It’s impossible. …
“We’re going to spread [the virus], and I’m expecting another bump up in January,” the governor said. “I don’t want it. I want to be completely surprised that that doesn’t happen. But we just know it’s incredibly high risk, and we have to brace and tell New Mexicans the truth that we’re expecting cases to climb.”