Doña Ana County has no new virus deaths for 1st time in 2 1/2 weeks as state lockdown’s set to begin

SANTA FE, New Mexico — State health officials reported 1,033 new Covid-19 cases Sunday and seven more deaths as New Mexicans readied for a two-week near-lockdown set to begin Monday aimed at helping curb the spread.

It was the first time in two and a half weeks that Doña Ana County saw no new deaths, with its fatality count holding steady at 134; 61 of those deaths came over the prior 16 days.

The county did have 165 new cases reported Sunday, as that total grew to 9,812.

New Mexico Department of Health officials said due to a technical lapse from some private labs, Sunday’s numbers only reflected a partial total . The delayed results will be reported as soon as they are received and confirmed, officials said.

The latest available figures increased the statewide total to 64,201 cases and the known death toll to 1,215.

The seven-day rolling average number of new cases has reached a record 1,188 a day — a 55% increase since the beginning of the month. Meantime, the state’s seven-day rolling fatalities average is more than 14 a day, the highest it’s ever been.

But New Mexico’s dismal virus numbers go beyond the daily case and death counts. The share of tests that come back positive is at its highest level since April, and the state’s hub hospitals reported more than 300 adults in their ICU beds this past week. That's above their baseline capacity of 290, forcing them to invoke contingency measures to free up more space.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered many businesses to close and asked residents to stay home starting Monday following the steady increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

Under the governor’s order, grocery stores, pharmacies, day cares, gas stations and other essential businesses can still operate. But they are being told to minimize operations and in-person staffing to the greatest extent possible. Restaurants may provide curbside pickup and delivery services, but on-site dining is prohibited.

The state court system is also postponing the start of any new civil and criminal jury trials until the end of the year. Appellate, district, metropolitan and magistrate courts will remain open while following guidelines to reduce transmission risks.

Below you can see county-by-county data for virus cases and deaths across New Mexico. The data comes from Johns Hopkins University, so the numbers may sometimes vary a bit from what's reported by the state health department.