New Mexico will succeed in vaccinations
New Mexico reached an important milestone this week — 70 percent of eligible adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Before the development of fast-spreading coronavirus variants, the 70 percent figure was a target — get there, and life would be close to normal. With the delta variant still causing havoc, it’s no time for flinging off masks and gathering for drinks in our favorite bars. With daily deaths still in the double digits, now is the time to stay cautious even as cases are beginning to decline.
With the pockets of vaccine resistors — even in some parts of Santa Fe County — other areas had to outperform to get New Mexico where it is today. The state leads the West in its rate of vaccinations, a tribute to hardworking public health employees, state leadership and to people who believe in science.
Through these efforts, Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties now have some of the lowest transmission numbers in the state. Los Alamos has only moderate transmission of COVID-19 currently signified by yellow on the map, with Santa Fe at orange close behind. Catron and Harding also are at orange.
Most of the state, however, remains in a red zone, indicating substantial community transmission. That must change to protect lives and our health care system.
Continuing to vaccinate people remains the best path out of the pandemic. Not only persuading those who are reluctant but enforcing vaccine mandates as needed.
The city of Santa Fe five weeks ago began requiring employees to be vaccinated or test regularly.
As a result, the percentage of vaccinated city workers has increased from 50 percent to 75 percent. This is how we protect each other.
Children 12 to 17 can receive their COVID19 shots now, and 53 percent of New Mexico kids have done so. That effort needs to expand, because getting young people vaccinated is critical to keep schools open for in-person learning. Next up will be children under 12; vaccines for them could be approved later this year, a smaller dose that trials have shown to be effective against the coronavirus.
For ideas on how to vaccinate almost everyone, there are few better examples in New Mexico than Rio Arriba County, with 91 percent of residents receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and around 80 percent fully vaccinated.
That’s not quite as high as the leader in the state — Los Alamos County has 88 percent of residents fully vaccinated — but Rio Arriba is a rural county with more challenges to getting the job done.
County Health and Human Services Director Lauren Reichelt worked with private providers and public clinics to make the vaccine easily available. Now, county health workers and partners are working to set up clinics for a possible third booster shot. They are working with school districts so that students can receive vaccinations at clinics. Part of the county’s initiatives included outreach to the elderly and isolated residents to ensure they could get their shots.
Such efforts are more important than ever. In Santa Fe County, two ZIP codes with lower inoculation rates were 87015 and 87056, which include the communities of Edgewood and Stanley, respectively. In the 87015 ZIP code, 58 percent of people were vaccinated, while in 87056, the vaccinate rate is a depressing 37 percent. Even with its county success, Rio Arriba must deal with the 87537 ZIP code — which includes Hernández — where just 20 percent of almost 3,000 people are fully vaccinated.
Smaller, targeted efforts can bring up numbers in low-vaccination areas. The process is slower and more difficult than it should be. In addition to small clinics, lean on small-town influencers — people from the community — to persuade the vaccine skeptics. Who would have predicted that so many people would turn down a cure during a pandemic? That’s the reality in New Mexico and the nation, one we cannot accept. More shots, please.