COVID infections, hospitalizations trend downward

CDC: Taos County now has ‘low’ community levels of the virus

Northern New Mexico continued to see high rates of COVID-19 transmission over the past week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however the agency currently considers Taos County to have “low” community levels of COVID-19. The “tripledemic” of COVID-19, flu and RSV appears to be on the wane statewide.

Hospitalizations due to COVID19 have continued to decrease. The New Mexico Department of Health reported that, as of Jan. 2, a total of 96 individuals in the state were admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19, compared to 103 a week prior.

According to the CDC, 3.4 percent of Taos County hospital beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic in New Mexico, 17.6 percent of those admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19 have died as a result of the virus.

The last COVID-19 death in Taos County was reported Jan. 4, bringing the total number of fatalities here due to the virus to 104.

According to the latest data from the New Mexico Department of Health on Monday (Jan. 2), New Mexico had the 20th-highest testpositivity rate in the nation at 15.1 percent, while the test-positivity rate in Taos County remained flat compared to the previous twoweek period at 9.6 percent.

The county logged 11 new confirmed infections over the past week ending Tuesday, compared to eight new cases the week before, according to the Department of Health. A total of 7,218 Taos County residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020.

As of Tuesday, the state had seen 661,596 reported cases of COVID-19, an increase of 1,708 confirmed infections since Jan. 3. The state clocked 2,104 new cases the week prior.

The state’s COVID-19 death toll reached 8,859 on Tuesday (Jan. 10), up from 8,831 the week before. The CDC reported Wednesday that

COVID-related deaths were trending upward; 1,091,184 individuals have died in the U.S. due to COVID-19, with 2,703 mortalities reported over the past seven-day period.

New Mexico’s vaccination rates have remained flat for the past month, with 80.3 percent of eligible residents aged 18-64 and 98.2 percent of those 65 and older having completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the department of health. Just 24.3 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have received a booster, while 41.6 percent of new Mexicans over the age of 65 have received a booster.

Among 12-17 year-olds in New Mexico, 11.2 percent have received a booster, while 8.9 percent of children aged 5-11 have received a booster. Among children aged 6 months to 4 years, 10.4 percent have received at least one dose of vaccine, with 3.9 percent having completed their primary series.

Sign up to receive the free COVID19 vaccine at vaccinenm.org, or ask your primary care physician.