Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
Although the seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases in New Mexico continues to drop, the state’s seven-day average for deaths is still rising.
On Monday, the Governor’s Office reported 628 new COVID-19 cases and 26 more deaths due to the disease. State officials have also found a second case of a reportedly more contagious strain of COVID-19 that was first detected in the United Kingdom in September.
The case total reported Monday is the lowest since Dec. 26, when the state had 609. The seven-day average for new cases, which hit 1,026 on Monday, has continued to decline since Jan. 11, when it reached 1,398.
But the seven-day death average, which was 27.71 on Monday, has continued to climb since Thursday, when it hit 22.29.
The total number of deaths in the state due to the disease is now 2,958. Those whose deaths were reported Monday include two people in their 70s from Bernalillo County; five people from Cibola County who were residents of the Good Samaritan Society facility in Grants; five people, ranging from their 60s through their 80s, from McKinley County; four people, ranging from their 70s to their 90s, from Sandoval County; and five people, ranging from their 30s to their 70s, from San Juan County.
The Department of Health also announced Monday that a woman in her 30s tested positive for a reportedly more contagious variant of COVID-19. The woman, who is experiencing minor symptoms and does not require hospitalization, is a household member of the first person in the state to test positive for the new strain.
Bernalillo County led the state with 161 new cases, Doña Ana County had 48, McKinley County had 45 and Santa Fe County had 38.
As of Monday there were 611 people hospitalized with the disease around the state. It’s the lowest number of hospitalizations since the state had 506 on Nov. 16.
The state now has a total of 164,263 total cases, with 87,502 recoveries.
