COVID cases up slightly

State and national cases see continued decline

The COVID-19 case rate increased this past week, up by 27 percent throughout Taos County after a four percent decrease in cases the previous week, according to data from the New Mexico Department of Health.

The county saw 29 new cases in the past week, compared to 21 cases the week before. Meanwhile, cases remain down by 46 percent throughout the state over the past two week reporting period by the CDC, and down 29 percent nationally, continuing a general downward trend for the past month.

In New Mexico, the fourteen-day-average daily case count is at 266 cases, compared to 308 for the previous reporting period. The total number of cases in Taos County is now at 6,501, while 6,287 patients in Taos County are reported to have recovered from the virus.

Hospitalizations throughout the state have continued to decrease, down by 14 percent over the past 14-day counting period, with a state average of 125 people hospitalized per day. The number was as low as 42 per week at the end of April.

One additional death was reported among Taos County residents in the past week, bringing the total number of deaths to 98 since March 1, 2020.

The New Mexico Department of Health reports that the state has seen more than 614,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March of 2020, with a death toll of 8,493, up from 8,471 the previous week. The CDC reports that over 1,045,000 people have died in the U.S. due to COVID-19, and is reporting there are approximately 26,233 hospitalizations nationwide as of press time, up from 16,581 the previous week.

During a Town of Taos Council meeting Tuesday (Sept. 13), GIS Analyst Tim Corner, who has presented COVID-19 updates to the council throughout the pandemic, reminded attendees that the FDA has recently approved booster vaccines that help combat the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the virus. “The disease is still out there, it’s still deadly, and there are things you can do to protect yourselves,” said Corner.

Taos County residents (aged 18+) remain 90 percent fully vaccinated, 99 percent partially vaccinated, and 60 percent boosted. For the state as a whole, 80 percent are fully vaccinated and 95 percent are partially vaccinated. Sixty-eight percent of New Mexicans have received one booster shot, while seven percent have received more than one.

For younger New Mexicans (aged 12-17), 62 percent are fully vaccinated, 70 percent are partially vaccinated and 43 percent have received one booster. Thirty-two percent of children aged 5-11 have been fully vaccinated, and 40 percent have been partially vaccinated.