By Susan Morée, NM Political Report
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ranked New Mexico as “very high” for COVID-19 for the past two weeks.
During the last week of November, the CDC reported New Mexico as the only state it rated as “very high” for the respiratory infection. The most current data, for the week of Dec. 1, shows New Mexico, Arizona, Minnesota and Massachusetts as “very high” for COVID-19.
The data is derived from a few wastewater facilities in the state, which enable the CDC to detect COVID-19 in the wastewater so the data provides an incomplete picture. David Barr, New Mexico Department of Health communications coordinator, told NM Political Report by email that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are heading upward slowly. He said the rise in hospitalizations is primarily among older residents who are 75 or older.
“The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is concerned that the low uptake of the COVID vaccine to date could lead to more widespread illness during the holiday season and legislative session. We encourage all New Mexicans to get vaccinated for COVID, flu and RSV. Vaccines are widely available now, but if you need help finding vaccines or treatments, you can get assistance from the NMDOH Helpline at 833-796-8773,” Barr said.
The CDC collects data from eight wastewater facilities in the state, but only two are currently reporting. A wastewater facility in Bernalillo County is reporting COVID-19 as “very high” and a wastewater facility in Santa Fe County is reporting COVID-19 as “high.” According to a Department of Health chart, wastewater facilities in the state began reporting COVID-19 as very high just prior to Nov. 23.