Over 100 new virus cases, including 3 in Las Cruces area, puts New Mexico total above 2,000

SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico health officials on Tuesday reported seven new deaths and 103 additional infections from the coronavirus. The update raised the statewide toll from the virus to 65 deaths and 2,072 confirmed cases.

In Doña Ana County, there were three new cases on Tuesday, raising the total there to 76. There remained just one death in the Las Cruces area, which occured back on April 12.

The state Health Department said 119 people were hospitalized due ot the virus on Tuesday, while 529 people had recovered from Covid-19.

Meantime, New Mexico officials have announced new deliveries of personal protective equipment such as face masks and gowns to retirement homes and state, local and tribal entities. The governor’s office said the state has spent $10.4 million on protective equipment designed to limit the transmission of Covid-19 since the disease arrived.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took part in a call this week between U.S. governors and Vice President Mike Pence regarding efforts to expand coronavirus testing capacity. Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki said she did not get a chance to ask Pence for more information about the future of antibody testing, which New Mexico has not yet implemented.

New Mexico relies on coronavirus tests that use nose or throat swabs, though its health officials are eager to explore the potential benefits of antibody tests that look in the blood for evidence someone had the virus and recovered.

Lujan Grisham said last week that social distancing measures cannot be relaxed without broader testing, expanded contact tracing to try and pinpoint and isolate sources of infection, and new treatment or therapy options. Public health officials have said it could take a year to 18 months to fully validate potential vaccines.

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