Serving the High Plains

County's COVID-19 cases drop; rates still high

Quay County saw its number of COVID-19 cases decline last week, but most of the state’s counties, including Quay, landed in the red zone for risk of the disease spreading.

Ten confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in Quay County last week. That compares to 19 the previous week.

In early May, the county went for two straight weeks without any cases being reported.

The total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began in spring 2020 rose to 2,032.

Quay County’s caseload was 24.6 per 100,000 people from May 17 to May 30, with a test-positivity rate of 10.6%. Both were well above benchmarks to stay in a low-spread zone.

From May 23-29, Mora County saw the worst case rates in the state, at 50.1 per 100,000 people. Santa Fe County was second with 44.7. Neighboring De Baca County was sixth-worst at 38.8.

The breakdown of total COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Quay County through Friday was 1,574 in Tucumcari, 283 in Logan, 96 in San Jon, 34 in House, 21 in McAlister, 18 in Bard and 14 in Nara Visa. Nearly all of the new cases were in Tucumcari.

No confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Quay County were reported last week. The county’s death toll from the virus remained at 57 since the pandemic began more than two years ago. A total of 49 coronavirus deaths have occurred in the county in a little more than a year.

After going two months without coronavirus rapid responses in Quay County, the state’s Environment Department reported these last week:

• Allsup’s Convenience Store in Tucumcari, one case reported each on May 24 and May 25;

• EPCAA Early Head Start in Tucumcari, one case reported May 27;

• UPS Customer Service Center in Tucumcari, two cases reported June 2.

More than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported Friday in New Mexico. That raised the total since the pandemic began to more than 538,000.

New Mexico’s seven-day daily case rate rose to 680 by Friday. The rate was 647 the previous week.

A total of 128 people were hospitalized in New Mexico with the disease Friday, an increase of 15 from the previous week. The state’s hospitalization rate has been rising since early May.

Twenty-two COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state Friday, raising the total to more than 7,825.

In the Amarillo metro region, the total number of active cases on Friday nearly doubled, from 187 to 352, in one week.

The disease has killed 1,273 people in the Amarillo metro since the pandemic began.

In the U.S., more than 84.7 million people have been confirmed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with nearly 1.01 million deaths, through Saturday.

New Mexico residents can schedule vaccinations through the state’s registration portal at VaccineNM.org. The Department of Health’s vaccination helpline is available at 855-600-3453, option 3.

The state’s Department of Health also recommends COVID-19 treatments for those who have contracted the disease in its early stages and are at high risk for serious illness. These drugs are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death but must be taken within days of the first symptom.

 
 
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