As the second holiday weekend in two weeks arrives, New Mexicans face fresh challenges calculating COVID-19 risk. By , New Mexico has a surge of cases , without a mask mandate, managed by an understaffed Department of Health that provides irregular updates as hospitalizations and deaths increase. The last press briefing on June 8 came three months after of COVID-19's arrival in New Mexico on March 11, 2020.
Janeth Nu帽ez del Prado pays close attention to daily case numbers since losing her father to COVID-19. She represents in New Mexico. It鈥檚 a national advocacy group.
"I mean, the pandemic hit us hard in New Mexico, we've lost almost 8000 people, and this is almost certainly an underestimate," said Nu帽ez del Prado.
Acting Secretary of Health, Dr David Scrase, said as much during a in June. He estimated that for every reported confirmed test, there's at least three to seven additional people who also have COVID. Some estimates state COVID is .
That makes it difficult to calculate risk heading into a national holiday weekend. Last July 4th, 77 New Mexicans were in the hospital with COVID-19 and the daily case average was below 100. This July 4th weekend there are almost 200 people in the hospital and the daily case average is 10 times higher () Last week alone, compared to the previous week. As of July 1, 2022, 7,941 New Mexicans died from COVID-19.
DOH told 91暗网 that it is also understaffed: Of 338 total positions in the Epidemiology Division, 94 are currently vacant, including . leaves July 10 to "spend the summer with her family," according to Dr. Scrase at the June briefing. No replacement has been named. The date for the next DOH update is not set, but mid-July is likely according to a spokesperson. Those updates are available to the public live and archived on the page that includes other NMDOH advisories.
In ten New Mexican counties, including San Juan and the state鈥檚 most populous, Bernalillo, the CDC states community levels are "High" and all people in such counties . According to DOH, are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and their community should take . One out may develop Long COVID symptoms, making them 鈥渁t risk鈥� for severe illness from future infections.
