Updates related to COVID-19 and its effects on Albuquerque and the rest of NM.
4:45 p.m.
NM sees 12 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing total to 151
Health officials announced Sunday that twelve more people have died of COVID-19 in New Mexico, the highest death count the state has seen in a single day.
The number of deaths in New Mexico is now 151. The Department of Health also announced 118 new positive cases.
Six of the deaths announced Sunday afternoon were in San Juan County, five of them were residents of the Life Care Center of Farmington, a nursing home.
The state reported partial numbers Sunday afternoon due to a technical issue with some labs reporting to the DOH.
As of Sunday, 164 people were hospitalized with the disease and 832 who have been designated as having recovered, according to the DOH.
— Edmundo Carrillo
11:11 a.m.
State prepares for vast increase in COVID-19 testing
State Department of Transportation information signs are urging people to “protect New Mexico” and get tested for COVID-19. But not everybody who contacts the state gets a test.
Richard Kraft, a 65-year-old real estate broker in Albuquerque, found that out recently.
“I saw the highway sign and thought I would do the right thing and get tested,” Kraft said.
When he called the state hotline, he was referred to one of the local clinics.
But when he called the clinic, he was told he couldn’t be tested. He didn’t have any of the symptoms for the coronavirus.
Testing for people without symptoms is still focused on certain groups such as first responders, front-line workers like grocery store clerks, and people who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. As a real estate broker, Kraft doesn’t fall into any of the categories of people who can get tested.
“We don’t have 2 million tests for everyone in the state,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.
But the circle of who is tested has widened as the state ramps up testing to its goal of 42,000 a week.
The state will now test someone displaying any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and/or loss of taste or smell.
–Mike Gallagher
6:05 a.m.
NM records 220 COVID-19 cases, 8 deaths on Saturday
Officials announced 220 new cases of COVID-19 across the state and eight deaths related to the virus.
Nora Meyers-Sackett, a spokeswoman with the governor’s office, said in an update Saturday that those numbers bring the total to 3,732 cases and 139 deaths.
The newest recorded deaths include two in Bernalillo County, a man in his 90s who was a resident of Uptown Genesis and a woman in her 90s who was a resident of La Vida Llena. A man in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was a patient at Central Desert Behavioral Health in Albuquerque. A man in his 70s and a woman in her 80s from Sandoval County. A man and woman, both in their 80s, and a man in his 90s from San Juan County — all three were residents of Cedar Ridge Inn in Farmington.
— Matt Reisen
