New Mexico virus cases up by 180, with 37 in Doña Ana County, as school year starts

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- New Mexico on Wednesday reported an additional 180 coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 22,816 since the pandemic began.

There were 37 of those new cases in Doña Ana County for a total to date of 2,554.

With two more fatalities recorded Wednesday, there have been nearly 700 deaths attributed to Covid-19 across New Mexico. Doña Ana County's death toll held steady at 31.

Wednesday's reported cases came as the school year got underway at some of New Mexico's largest public school districts - with teachers, students and parents again dealing with remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Las Cruces Public Schools had an all-online start Wednesday, while the Albuquerque Public Schools also had a virtual start.

Whether students return to the classroom later in the year will depend on the pace of the pandemic in the state.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in late July declared that classes would be virtual at least through Sept. 7 because of an uptick of Covid-19 cases.

The state Health Department’s latest modeling report indicates the statewide increase in daily case counts has since declined and that the highest percentage of cases — about 19% — are among people between 25 and 34 years old.

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.