Daily virus case rates holding counties back

Doña Ana County slid from yellow to red (very high risk) status

To meet the standard for the least restrictive green or turquoise risk levels, counties are required to have an average daily case rate no greater than 8 per 100,000 and a test positivity rate less than or equal to 5%.

In the latest tracking from the state Department of Health, most counties have met the 5% or lower line, but are held back from the green reopening level because of their average daily case rates.

Five counties in the yellow high-risk category as of this week are closest to meeting that 8 case per capita rate.

They are Colfax, Curry, Hildalgo, Lea, Roosevelt and Santa Fe, the latter which is just .30 away from the benchmark.

But Bernalillo and its two neighboring counties, Sandoval and Valencia, have to continue to cut their average daily case counts to get from yellow to green. All three are under the 5% benchmark for positive tests.

Earlier this month, in the prior state reopening survey of counties released on Feb. 10, Bernalillo had 21.10 cases per 100,000; in the past two weeks, the average daily case count has dropped to 14.10

In Sandoval County, the prior average daily cases per capita was 23.80; it has now dropped to 15 average daily cases per capita.

Valencia County had 19 cases per capita two weeks ago and has since dropped to 13.70 cases.

Of all New Mexico’s counties, Doña Ana was the only one this week to see worsening scores, sliding from yellow to red status, signifying very high risk.

That’s because its positivity rate climbed to 6.77 from 4.33 two weeks ago — a sign that increased COVID-19 testing may be needed in the state’s second most populous county.

Doña Ana’s per capita average daily case count has also increased, up from 20.9 in the last survey to 26 this week.