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This news came on Monday, while the daily number of viruses in the state showed signs of improvement.
New Mexico reported 826 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, the first time in more than six weeks when the state reported fewer than 1,000 cases in a day. The state also reported nine deaths on Monday, which lowered the state’s seven-day average to 28.86, down about 20 percent from 35.86 deaths a day on Thursday.
Despite the improvements, doctors at local hospitals stressed during a press conference that the pandemic is far from over. And they said they remain concerned that Christmas and New Year’s gatherings could lead to a wave of infections that could push hospitals to the point where they need to start streamlining care.
“It was a week of excitement. … People have received the vaccine and it is going very well, ”said Dr. Vesta Sandoval, chief physician at Lovelace Health System. “I feel a huge sense of relief.”
Sandoval, as well as doctors at New Mexico University Hospital, Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, said none of their employees who received vaccinations reported significant side effects.
However, this is not the time to celebrate, they said.
“We’re not done yet,” Sandoval said. “Our numbers are still very high in hospitals.”
On Monday, 796 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized across the state, the first time it was under 800 in almost a month.
Dr. Denise Gonzales, medical director at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, said the largest hospitals in the state operate at about 130% of their authorized capacity.
“It simply came to our notice then. And it’s not just one hospital. They are all major hospitals. I’m one step away, “she said. “A significant increase could lead them to take care of the ration.”
People reported deaths on Monday ranged from a 50-year-old woman in Bernalillo County to a 90-year-old man in Bernalillo County.
The national balance of coronavirus-related deaths now stands at 2,180.
Bernalillo County, the most populous county in the state, recorded the latest cases on Monday, with 293. San Juan County, in northwestern New Mexico, was second, with 96.
State officials acknowledged that New Mexico has made progress.
But the concern remains high in the direction of the holidays.
“It’s clear that New Mexico has made progress in slowing the spread, even after Thanksgiving,” said Matt Bieber, a spokesman for the Department of Health. “That being said, the risk of transmission remains high and emphasizes the importance of maintaining COVID safe practices throughout the holiday season.”
Last week, state frontline hospital workers began being vaccinated against coronavirus. Thousands of healthcare workers, many of whom interact directly with COVID-positive patients, received the first of two photos taken by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Residents and nursing staff in New Mexico could begin receiving a COVID-19 vaccine this week as more doses of the vaccine reach the state.
A spokeswoman for the governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, said Monday that New Mexico has begun receiving initial deliveries of a Moderna vaccine that has only been approved and is aimed primarily at those who live and work in such care units on long term.
More shipments are expected to arrive on Tuesday, with the state receiving 31,600 doses of vaccine in the initial allocation, Lujan Grisham spokesman Matt Nerzig said.
The state is also scheduled to receive another 12,675 doses of Pfizer vaccine – down from last week – which is used to vaccinate front-line health workers.
Twenty-five hospitals in New Mexico will receive Pfizer vaccine distributions from the Department of Health on Tuesday, according to state officials.
Two additional hospitals – UNMH and Presbyterian – were to receive deliveries directly on Monday.
In addition, Nerzig said, the national distribution of the Pfizer vaccine was not based exclusively on the population, as three Native American pueblos – Acoma, Laguna and Picuris – received 450 doses of vaccine last week, which is a higher share. than their population. would suggest.
“The governor has ordered the Department of Health to allocate more than the proportional weekly proportion of people for several reasons, including the fact that they have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and that, in practice, we need to administer the vaccine in higher stages.” Nerzig told the Journal.
He also said that the three pueblos will not receive deliveries of Moderna vaccine.