Vaccine doses trickle in to Quay

More doses of COVID-19 vaccine continued to trickle into Quay County last week, and more are anticipated in the days and weeks ahead.

Quay County Family Health Center in Tucumcari on Wednesday received 300 more doses of the Moderna version of the vaccine, which likely will be administered this week to at least 150 people on its waiting list once they’re scheduled.

The arrival of the vaccine shipment Wednesday came as a pleasant surprise to clinic administrator C. Renee Hayoz. Two days before, she told Quay County commissioners her request for 100 more doses the previous week had been rejected, and she had anticipated a new request of 200 doses would be denied again.

Hayoz said she would request 200 additional doses of the Moderna vaccine this week, mainly for booster shots starting Jan. 27 for those who received their first inoculations in late December.

She said the East Main Street clinic for the foreseeable future would set aside the early afternoon hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for vaccinations.

Those who are eligible for the current phase of the vaccinations should call the clinic at (575) 461-2200 to schedule an appointment or consult their physicians to make a plan for it.

New Mexico is finishing Phase 1A of vaccinations for healthcare workers at medium to high risk of contracting the virus. The state has moved into Phase 1B of inoculations for residents age 75 and older, frontline essential workers who cannot work remotely, people with underlying conditions that put them at risk of the virus and vulnerable populations that include nursing home residents.

Hayoz said no one has reported serious side effects from inoculations. She said the most common complaint is a sore arm at the injection site.

“A person here or there has reported a light headache, maybe running a little fever, but nothing extreme,” she said.

Trigg Memorial Hospital has administered 171 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with 71 more scheduled for Friday, an spokeswoman for Presbyterian Health Services that manages the hospital stated in an email Thursday.

The hospital plans to request 120 more doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week.

“The progress that New Mexico has made in vaccinations is remarkable,” administrator and chief nurse executive Vickie Gutierrez wrote in an email Thursday. “We have completed our workforce vaccinations and are now reaching out and beginning to vaccinate patients over 75 years old. We will then move to vaccinate other groups, using Phase 1B guidance from the NMDOH, including those with chronic medical conditions and essential workers. We continue to encourage community members who do not meet Phase 1B criteria to register for a vaccine on NMDOH's website.”

The vaccine registration website is at https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org.

Those eligible for the vaccine are encourage to call the hospital at (575) 461-7100 for an appointment. Trigg will do weekly vaccine clinics at no cost for those getting the shots.

Kristin Rincones, a clerk at Quay County Public Health Office, said her office anticipates receiving a shipment of vaccines by late January. She encouraged residents to register for the vaccine at the state website.

Residents who have questions or would like support with state vaccine registration — including those who do not have internet access — can dial 1-855-600-3453, press option 0 for vaccine questions, then option 4 for tech support. Users with other vaccine-related questions can call 1-855-600-3453 and press option 0.

The state Department of Health on Thursday also announced the launch of a vaccine dashboard website at https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/public-dashboard.html. It offers up-to-the-day statistics that includes vaccines received in New Mexico, vaccines administered, vaccines administered in the last seven days and total registrants to New Mexico’s vaccine registration website. The site also features a map with the location of every active vaccination provider in the state.

Through Friday, more than 108,000 doses of vaccine had been administered in New Mexico, and more than 429,000 residents have registered online for it.

During a briefing Thursday, Health Secretary-designate Dr. Tracie Collins said New Mexico has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccine administration rate in the country.

In a reponse to a reporter pointing out the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people age 65 and older be vaccinated, Collins said state health officials are reviewing that recommendation.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she anticipated the state would be finished with Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout by early spring and “maybe sooner.”

She also anticipated the number of providers of the vaccine would rise from the current 140 to more than 400 in the coming weeks.

Human Service Secretary David Scrase said because more New Mexicans are being vaccinated against the virus almost daily, he anticipates an exponential decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.

“We can absolutely see light at the end of this dark, very long tunnel,” the governor said.