New Mexico to require Covid-19 boosters for some workers

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- An updated New Mexico public health order will require booster shots for some vaccinated workers in the state, ABC affiliate KOAT reported Thursday.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office indicated that the updated order would require boosters for those who work in high-risk environments including those who work in health care and congregate settings, public school and state employees.

The deadline to receive a booster is Jan. 17, or within four weeks of becoming eligible.

“New Mexico is doing well with boosters, better than the national average, but we still must do better,” said Dr. David Scrase, the state's Health and Human Services secretary. “Our hospitals are overfull, and the spread of the virus continues to exacerbate the issue. New Mexico isn’t an island, and we can’t prevent the new variant from arriving here. So we must defend ourselves with the tools we know to work: Masks, vaccines, and personal decisions that serve to protect the collective well-being.”