Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
There were 238 new COVID-19 infections and seven new deaths related to the virus, the New Mexico Department of Health said Friday – about the same numbers as reported Thursday.
That brings the number of COVID-related deaths statewide to 3,923.
The total number of people in New Mexico who have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 190,716. The total number of people who have reportedly recovered is 173,068, according to the DOH.
There are currently 124 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19.
Nearly 1.1 million vaccination doses have been administered, covering 40% of New Mexicans. Just under a quarter of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated. New Mexico is among the states leading in per-capita vaccine distribution, according to a statement from the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
On Friday, Lujan Grisham joined the 49% of state residents age 60 to 74 who have already received at least one COVID-19 vaccination. The governor, 61, received her first injection at a Department of Health vaccination site at Desert Sage Academy in Santa Fe.
“I know many elected leaders, including governors, have gotten their shots before now,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “But it was important to me to wait until it was my turn in the priority list – just like we have asked so many New Mexicans to wait their turn, and to be patient, to trust the process is moving as quickly as it can, and to keep wearing our masks and physically distancing to protect each other and our families.”
The state last week expanded vaccine eligibility to include more categories of people on the state’s priority list. As supply from the federal government increases, the state is able to expand eligibility and reach more New Mexicans who have registered and are awaiting a vaccine, according to DOH.
Among the latest COVID-19 deaths were a woman in her 30s and a man in his 70s, both from Bernalillo County and both with underlying medical conditions; two people from Doña Ana County, a woman in her 50s with underlying conditions, and a woman in her 90s; a man in his 80s from San Juan County; and two men in their 60s from Sandoval County, both with underlying conditions, one of whom most recently resided at The Rio at Las Estancias facility in Albuquerque.
