Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
The number of people who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in New Mexico has surpassed the number of people who have been confirmed to have had the disease.
A recently updated state vaccine dashboard shows that through Sunday, more than 277,000 doses of vaccine had been administered.
About 215,000 people had been given their first shot, and 61,488 had been given their second shot, according to the dashboard. Health officials have said that it takes two doses of vaccine to achieve maximum immunity.
The vaccine rollout continues as confirmed COVID cases in New Mexico are in a downward trend. State officials reported 487 new cases Monday and 12 deaths.
That’s the fewest total cases reported in a day since mid-October. The state’s seven-day average remained at 694 new cases per day, the same as it was on Sunday, according to a Journal analysis. It’s the first time since Oct. 24 that the state has averaged fewer than 700 cases per day for seven days.
Bernalillo County, the state’s most populous county, had the most new cases, 192.
The deaths of six men and six women were reported Monday. They ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s, and most had underlying health conditions. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,295 New Mexicans have died of the disease. And there have been 174,550 total confirmed cases in the state.
Health care workers, first responders, those 75 and older, and people 16 and older with underlying medical conditions are now eligible for the vaccinations.
There are two different types of COVID vaccine being used, and they both require two doses. State health officials said Monday that the state has adopted CDC guidance on the booster doses.
The second, or booster, shot is typically given three or four weeks after the first dose, depending on the drug manufacturer. Matt Bieber, a spokesman for the Department of Health, said in an email that while the second dose should be given as close to that timeline as possible, if it is not feasible the second shot can be given up to six weeks after the first.
The state on Monday updated its vaccination dashboard: https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/public-dashboard.html. The website now shows county-specific data on how many vaccines have been administered.
Union and Guadalupe counties have given out 39.5 and 37.3 doses per 100 people, respectively, according to the dashboard. Bernalillo County has distributed the seventh-most doses per capita, with 16.2 per 100 people.
There are just over 110,000 people in Bernalillo County who have received one or two doses of the vaccine, according to the dashboard.
The dashboard also shows the providers throughout the state that can administer the vaccine.
About 560,000 people throughout the state have registered for the vaccine, which can be done online or by calling the Health Department at 1-855-600-3453.
