New Mexico has nearly 3,000 new virus cases: 281 in Doña Ana County, record 109 in Otero County
SANTA FE, New Mexico -- With New Mexico hospitals facing a capacity crunch as Covid-19 infections in New Mexico surge to new highs, the state on Friday reported 2,993 new cases and 23 related deaths.
In southern New Mexico, the latest deaths included a woman in her 60s from Doña Ana County and another woman in her 70s from adjacent Otero County.
Nearly 3,000 people have died statewide from the virus since the outset of the pandemic. Doña Ana County's death toll is now 152, with more than half of those total deaths (78) occurring in just the past three weeks. In Oerty County, the deceased tally has reached 23.
On the new case front, more than 1,000 people tested positive in Bernalillo County which encompasses Albuquerque. There were 218 infections alone within one zip code area in the Albuquerque area.
In southern New Mexico, there were 281 new cases in Doña Ana County for a cumulative total of 11,567, and a record 109 new cases in Otero County which now has 1,146 total.
The actual number of New Mexico infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies show people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
As of Friday, there were 808 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for Covid-19. New Mexico hospital officials have described strains from the current pace of caring for increasing numbers of virus patients. Steps taken to cope have included bringing in health care workers from other states.
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.
