New Mexico ends year with 2,477 virus deaths – 280 of those in Doña Ana County
SANTA Fe, New Mexico -- New Mexico health officials on Thursday reported an additional 1,684 confirmed Covid-19 infections, pushing the statewide total since the pandemic began to 142,864.
Of those new cases, 118 were in Doña Ana County, where it's total case count for the year reached 17,476.
Another 41 deaths were reported across New Mexico, leaving the state to finish the year with 2,477 people who succumbed to the virus.
Five of the state's latest deaths occurred in Doña Ana County, with the youngest victim being a woman in her 30s. The others included a woman in her 60s, two men in their 70s and a man in his 80s. The county's death toll for the year totals 280.
State officials continued to encourage people to get tested and to sign up for a vaccination, as planning is underway for distribution once more doses become available.
“I’m as glad to say goodbye to 2020 as anybody,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a tweet. “But please be careful celebrating tonight. Covid hasn’t gone anywhere. Don’t risk your health — or your neighbor’s health.”
Traditional New Year's celebrations around the state, such as the annual “Chile Drop" in Las Cruces, were taking place virtually.
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.
