State passes 500,000 vaccinated

New Mexico last week moved past the 500,000 mark in the number of people who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose as supplies reportedly continued to trend upward.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also said during a briefing Thursday that President Joe Biden told governors earlier in the day he was “very optimistic” all Americans would be vaccinated for the disease by May.

On a local level, C. Renee Hayoz, administrator for Quay County Family Health Center in Tucumcari, said she had requested 500 doses of vaccine for this week.

If that large of a shipment arrives, Hayoz said the clinic would host a mass-vaccination event sometime next week.

Hayoz said her clinic administered 80 booster shots of the Moderna vaccine and 25 first shots last week.

This week, she anticipated giving 180 primary shots of the vaccine.

The clinic’s higher-than-usual administration rates are caused by the unexpected arrival of a total of 400 doses on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Hayoz said she was holding back 100 doses for booster shots this week if a shipment of the Moderna vaccine doesn’t arrive.

Vickie Gutierrez, administrator and chief nurse executive at Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, stated in an email Friday that 125 vaccine doses had been administered last week.

Gutierrez said the hospital may receive a shipment of 400 doses but won’t have confirmation until this week.

According to data from the state Department of Health, about 215 more Quay County residents were vaccinated through Friday, raising the overall total to 1,416. That raised the proportion of those fully or partially vaccinated to 20.8%, an increase of 3.2% from the previous week. A total of 12% of county residents had been fully vaccinated through Friday.

Lujan Grisham said Biden’s optimism about the U.S. being fully vaccinated before summer was fueled by the imminent rollout of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Defense Production Act that ramps up needed supplies for vaccination efforts.

The state’s Department of Health on Wednesday hailed the 500,000th resident receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Health Secretary Tracie Collins said during a briefing Thursday that 20% of the state’s population has been partially vaccinated and 10% of it is fully vaccinated. New Mexico ranks No. 1 in the country in the percentage of its vaccine doses being used.

The statewide total of doses given rose to 557,000 through Friday. The seven-day average of doses administered was more than 64,000, a decrease of about 2,000 from the previous Friday. Collins said, however, the number of doses arriving in the state had risen by 7%.

Collins said the state was “getting closer” to moving on to the next phase of vaccination but wouldn’t commit to a date because the number of adults with chronic conditions is so large. She said an estimated 800,000 people in New Mexico age 16 and over hold conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus.

Collins also said the DOH would prioritize use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in vulnerable and poverty-stricken ZIP codes in the state with mobile vaccination teams or clinics.

Collins also said the agency wants to boost the number of vaccinations to the elderly by 10% in the coming weeks. The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department will host such clinics throughout the state weekly, she said.

Human Services Secretary David Scrase said vaccinations have decreased the daily number of new COVID-19 cases by 25% to 30%, though safeguards to avoid contracting the disease remain the largest role in suppressing those infection numbers. He said the number of vaccinations is 33 times the number of new daily cases.

Scrase noted the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities has dropped “significantly” since the vaccine rollout began in December.

He said a poll by Presbyterian Health Services showed the number of New Mexicans who want the vaccine rose from 49% during the initial rollout to 79% now.

Residents who need a vaccination should sign up at the DOH's dedicated COVID-19 vaccine registration database at https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org, where they will be notified when they're eligible to receive one. Through Friday, more than 656,000 had registered.

Residents who have questions or would like support with 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 should call 1-855-600-3453 and press option 0.

Those eligible for the vaccine also are encouraged to call Trigg at (575) 461-7100 for an appointment or get on a waiting list for one. Trigg performs weekly vaccine clinics at no cost.

These groups are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in New Mexico:

• Hospital personnel;

• Residents and staff of long-term care facilities;

• Medical first responders;

• Congregate-setting workers;

• Persons providing direct medical care and other in-person services;

• Home-based health care and hospice workers;

• People age 75 and older;

• People age 16 and over who are at risk of COVID complications.

Scrase said the federal government soon will deliver 25 million free and washable masks to 1,300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens across the country. Anyone can pick up those masks once they arrive and would be encouraged to take two for each person in their household.