COVID cases remaining consistent nationwide
COVID-19 community transmission levels in Taos County were low last week but total infections have increased, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitalizations due to COVID19 have increased. The New Mexico Department of Health reported that, as of Feb. 28, a total of 88 individuals in the state were admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19, compared to 76 two weeks prior.
According to the CDC, 4.4 percent of Taos County hospital beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19, an increase since last week. Since the start of the pandemic in New Mexico, 17.5 percent of those admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19 have died as a result of the virus, according to the latest state report from Feb. 27. The last death in Taos County due to COVID-19 was on March 1, bringing the total number of virus fatalities here to 108.
According to the latest Department of Health data from Feb. 27, New Mexico had the 10th-lowest test-positivity rate in the nation at 7.4 percent, while the average testpositivity rate in Taos County for the two-week period ending Feb. 27 jumped to 17.6 percent.
The county logged five new confirmed infections over the past week ending Tuesday (Feb. 28), compared to eight new cases the week before. A total of 7,286 Taos County residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020. Also as of Tuesday, the state had recorded 670,688 reported cases of COVID-19, an increase of 1,390 confirmed infections since Feb. 22.
As of Tuesday, 9,059 New Mexicans have died due to COVID-19, according to the Department of Health, up from 9,030 the week before. The CDC reported Wednesday (March 8) that COVID-related deaths nationwide are remaining consistent. Also as of Wednesday, more than 1,117,000 individuals had died in the U.S. due to COVID19.
As of Feb. 28, New Mexico’s vaccination rates have increased slightly compared to the previous four-week period, with 80.6 percent of eligible residents aged 18-64 and 99 percent of those 65 and older having completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the NMDOH. Just 28.9 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have received a booster, while 47 percent of New Mexicans over the age of 65 have received a booster.
Among 12-17 year-olds in New Mexico, 15.4 percent have received a booster, and 15.3 percent of children aged 5-11 have received a booster. Among children aged 6 months to 4 years, 11.9 percent have received at least one dose of vaccine, with 4.7 percent having completed their primary series.
People can sign up to receive the free COVID-19 vaccine at vaccinenm.org, or ask their primary care physician. To request free athome COVID-19 antigen tests, visit accesscovidtests.org.