SANTA FE – New Mexico reported 143 new coronavirus cases Monday – a lower-than-average figure for the past week.
Health officials also announced three more fatalities Monday, pushing the statewide total to 873 deaths since the pandemic reached New Mexico in March.
The most recent victims were adults in their 60s or 70s, all with underlying medical conditions. Two were from Eddy County and one from Luna County.
Monday’s case totals come as New Mexico’s statistical modeling shows COVID-19 spreading faster than it has in months.
The state’s seven-day rolling average of newly reported cases now stands at 186, a 40% increase since the average on Sept. 1, according to a Journal analysis.
The state’s target is to average 168 or fewer cases a day, although it calculates the rolling average based on the date the specimen was collected rather than when the test result is reported to the public.
Increased testing appears to be driving some – but not all – of the uptick in cases.
The share of tests that come back positive has climbed to 2.7% in the most recent weeklong period reported by the state. The average was at just 2.0% about 10 days ago.
New Mexico is now conducting about 6,061 tests a day, a 6% increase from 10 days ago.
Bernalillo County, the state’s most populous county, led New Mexico with 47 new cases Monday, followed by 19 cases in Doña Ana County.
