Serving the High Plains

County may lose turquoise

Because of recent coronavirus outbreaks, Quay County could lose its weeks-long turquoise status this week despite the recent loosening of standards with the state’s COVID-19 assessment criteria.

The possibility of the county dropping into the red or yellow zone when the next assessment is announced Wednesday could lead to more restrictions for businesses, including the closing of indoor dining and bars with the worst-case scenario.

The Logan ZIP code has recorded 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since mid-April. San Jon has recorded five in less than a week and Tucumcari three.

The outbreaks have prompted Logan, San Jon and Tucumcari schools in recent weeks to send at least some of their students home for quarantine and remote learning. Center Street United Methodist Church in Tucumcari also didn’t hold services Sunday because of a case among one of its members.

Four more cases were reported in the county Friday by the state’s Department of Health, with two in Tucumcari and two in San Jon. The total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began a year ago rose to 452, with eight deaths.

The state last week raised the benchmark of daily cases per 100,000 people from eight to 10 over each 14-day reporting period. It also raised the test-positivity benchmark from 5% to 7.5%.

A new criteria — whether a certain percentage of a county’s populace is fully vaccinated — was added the framework.

A county meeting none of those three criteria would be in the red zone. A county meeting one would be in the yellow. A county meeting two would be in the green.

A county meeting all three or being in the green for two consecutive assessments would graduate to the turquoise zone. In addition, counties in turquoise would be assessed only monthly, instead of the usual biweekly.

The Department of Health updated its COVID-19 risk map Friday to reflect the new standards, and Quay County remained in the turquoise. It remained unclear whether the four-week assessment for turquoise counties began Friday or begins after the May 5 assessment. Emails to DOH spokesmen were not returned before deadline.

The loosening of red-to-turquoise standards had been planned for weeks because of rising vaccination rates.

“As our models show test positivity is likely to become more elastic over time, and as fewer New Mexicans will require COVID-19 testing amid increasing vaccinations, we want to provide counties the assurance that they can continue to progress in accordance with the actual risk they face,” Human Services Secretary David Scrase said.

As it stood through Friday, Quay County’s ability to stay in turquoise looks iffy when the next assessment is announced Wednesday. It has recorded 19 cases of COVID-19 since the last assessment April 19. It can tolerate only 12 cases during a two-week period. Its test-positivity rate was estimated at over 11% though Friday, significantly above the new 7.5% benchmark.

Quay County, as well as several other counties in eastern New Mexico, has been a laggard in full vaccination rates for weeks. The state average on Friday was 42%. Quay County’s rate that day was under 30%.

The breakdown of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 332 in Tucumcari, 76 in Logan, 13 in San Jon, 10 in House, nine in McAlister, four in Nara Visa, four in Grady (part of which extends into Quay County), and three in Bard. Eight deaths have been reported in the county since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

A total of 414 people in Quay County were deemed to have recovered from the virus through Friday.

COVID-19 rapid responses were recorded at these Quay County entities in the past week, according to the state’s database:

• Annex Bar and Grill, Logan, one case reported April 26;

• Autumn Blessings, Logan, one case reported April 29.

A typical rapid response consists of isolating positive cases, quarantining close contacts for 14 days, ceasing operations to the extent necessary to isolate affected areas, disinfecting these areas, implementing safety procedures and resuming operations. Typically, operations are ceased for fewer than 24 hours before it is safe to reopen.

In New Mexico, a total of 309 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, bringing the overall total to more than 197,000 since the pandemic began. Friday’s total also was the largest since early March.

The state saw its seven-day average of cases increase to 155, a rise of about 20.

Nine COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total at 4,067.

A total of 145 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, an increase of about 30 from the previous week. That number remained well below the winter peak of more than 900.

The Amarillo metro region on Friday totaled 404 active cases of the disease — an increase of almost 100 in one week. The hospitalization rate was 2.51%, which remained stable.

In the U.S., more than 32.5 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 576,000 deaths, through Friday.