County COVID infection rate remains stable

COVID-19 community transmission levels in Taos County were low last week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitalizations due to COVID19 have held steady. The New Mexico Department of Health reported that, as of March 14, a total of 88 individuals in the state were admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19, the same from two weeks prior.

According to the CDC, 4.3 percent of Taos County hospital beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19, a slight decrease 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 March 13. 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 March 13, New Mexico had the 10th-lowest test-positivity rate in the nation at 7.4 percent, while the average test-positivity rate in Taos County for the two-week period ending Feb. 28 was 4.2 percent.

The county logged six new confirmed infections over the past week ending Tuesday (March 14), compared to five new cases the week before. A total of 7,292 Taos County residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020. Also as of Tuesday, the state had recorded 671,657 reported cases of COVID19, an increase of 2,181 confirmed infections since March 1.

As of Tuesday, 9,071 New Mexicans have died due to COVID-19, according to the Department of Health, up from 9,059 the week before. The CDC reported Wednesday (March 15) that COVID-related deaths nationwide are remaining consistent. Also as of Wednesday, more than 1,119,000 individuals had died in the U.S. due to COVID-19.

As of March 15, New Mexico’s vaccination rates have held steady compared to the previous fourweek 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 at-home COVID-19 antigen tests, visit accesscovidtests.org.