COVID cases down, deaths on the rise

Taos County saw a 29 percent decrease in its COVID-19 case rate (cases per 100,000 people per week) from the previous week. In New Mexico, cases were down two percent, while nationally, cases were down nine percent during the same time period.

Taos County reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 from Oct. 12 – Oct. 18, compared to 49 new cases the week before, according to town of Taos GIS Analyst Tim Corner. The total number of cases in the county is now 2,333.

One additional death was reported – a man in his 40’s – marking seven deaths since Sept. 9 among Taos County residents, bringing the total number of deaths to 63.

Across New Mexico, 19 of 33 counties saw a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The average daily case count decreased to 710 cases per day last week, down from 751 the week before. Meanwhile, the average deaths per day in the state increased to 10 per day, with a high of 11 deaths on Sept. 16.

McKinley County and San Juan County have the highest case rates in the state, while case rates in the southeast region experienced a decline in cases. Meanwhile, Mora County and Harding County continue to have among the highest rates in the state.

One hundred percent of the counties in the state now have high transmission rates. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines high transmission as more than 100 new cases per 100,000 persons in the past seven days.

The New Mexico Department of Health reports that the state has seen more than 266,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020, with a death toll of 4,952. The CDC reports that more than 726,000 people have died in the U.S. due to COVID-19.

Taos County residents (aged 18+) are 84 percent fully vaccinated and 94 percent partially vaccinated, according to Corner. For the state as a whole, 72 percent are fully vaccinated and 81 percent are partially vaccinated. For younger New Mexicans (aged 12–17), 54 percent are fully vaccinated and 62 percent are partially vaccinated.