Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
By Matthew Reisen Journal Staff Writer
The state reached its highest seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases after reporting its largest daily new case count – 486 – Saturday afternoon.
The rolling average is now 348 cases a day, according to a Journal analysis of the data. A little less than a month ago, the state had its lowest average, 88 cases.
Friday initially had the highest daily count, with 488 new cases reported, but five of those were later discovered to be duplicates or out-of-state residents.
The previous highest daily new case count and seven-day average came in late July, when there were 455 in one day, and the rolling average was 330.
Nora Meyers Sackett, a Governor’s Office spokeswoman, said five more people died of the virus:
⋄ A woman in her 70s from Eddy County.
⋄ A man in his 80s from Lea County.
⋄ A man in his 50s from McKinley County.
⋄ A man in his 30s from San Juan County.
⋄ A woman in her 80s from Santa Fe County.
They all had underlying conditions, and three were hospitalized.
The statewide totals are 32,722 cases and 907 deaths related to the virus.
Those counties hit the hardest Saturday included Bernalillo, with 167 new cases; Doña Ana, with 73; and Curry, with 42, Chaves with 38 and Sandoval with 27.
In addition, 15 new cases were reported among detainees held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Otero County Processing Center.
Meyers Sackett said there are 130 people hospitalized with the virus, 21 on ventilators, and 18,621 cases designated as having recovered by the New Mexico Department of Health.
