Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – New Mexico reported 197 new coronavirus cases Friday, well below last week’s spike in infections.
Health officials also said six more residents had died in the virus outbreak, pushing the statewide total to 675 deaths since March.
The state is now averaging about 197 new cases a day over the past week, a 40% decline from a July 29 peak of 330 cases on average.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has described the trend as strong progress toward reducing the prevalence of the disease, though she said Thursday that it’s too early to substantially relax the state’s business restrictions.
Doña Ana County in the southern part of the state led New Mexico with 50 new infections Friday, followed by 32 in Bernalillo County, the most populous part of the state.
Ten of the cases reported Friday were among federal detainees.
The six new deaths include adults ranging in age from their 50s to their 80s, all but one of whom had an underlying medical condition.
Health officials said 132 coronavirus patients are hospitalized in New Mexico, or six fewer than the day before.
The figure may include patients transferred from other states, and it doesn’t include any New Mexico residents hospitalized outside the state.
The state designates 9,166 people as having recovered from the disease.
Altogether, New Mexico has confirmed 21,965 cases out of 612,854 tests, for a positivity rate of 3.6%. The percentage has been a little lower – about 3.5% – for the most recent seven-day period released by the state.
