Taos County community transmission levels remain low
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 declined. The New Mexico Department of Health reported that, as of March 20, a total of 53 individuals in the state were admitted for inpatient treatment for COVID-19, down from 88 two weeks prior.
According to the CDC, 2.6 percent of Taos County hospital beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19, a significant 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 testpositivity rate in Taos County for the two-week period ending March 13 was 4.2 percent.
The county logged four new confirmed infections over the past week ending Tuesday (March 21), compared to six new cases the week before. A total of 7,296 Taos County residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020. Also as of Tuesday, the state had recorded 672,997 reported cases of COVID-19, an increase of 1,340 confirmed infections since March 13.
As of Tuesday, 9,084 New Mexicans have died due to COVID-19, according to the Department of Health, up from 9,071 the week before. The CDC reported Wednesday (March 22) that COVID-related deaths nationwide are remaining consistent. Also as of Wednesday, more than 1,121,000 individuals had died in the U.S. due to COVID-19.
As of March 22, New Mexico’s vaccination rates have held steady 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.