New Mexico has record 47 new virus deaths, 7 in Doña Ana County, as state among tops for vaccines

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said the state Health Department is watching the numbers closely as New Mexico has now recorded nearly 150,000 confirmed Covid-19 infections since the pandemic began, with an additional 1,496 cases reported Wednesday.

If there's a further bump related to gatherings over the holidays, she said it would be showing up soon.

Officials also have linked 2,641 deaths to the virus, with the latest high of 47 being reported Wednesday. The state Environment Department said it's also investigating more than a dozen workplace-related Covid-19 deaths.

Seven of the latest deaths reported by the state occurred in Doña Ana County and included:

• A man in his 40s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized.
• A man in his 50s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized.
• A woman in her 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized.
• A man in his 60s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized.
• A man in his 70s from Doña Ana County who was hospitalized.
• A male in his 80s who was a resident of the Welbrook Senior Living facility in Las Cruces.
• A man in his 90s from Doña Ana County.

But while daily deaths set a record, New Mexico is now among the top states in the U.S. when it comes to vaccine distribution. And Collins said Wednesday that more work is being done to ensure that providers can quickly and accurately report the number of doses that are being administered.

Collins during an online briefing pointed to the state's registration website, saying it has helped to streamline the process of getting people scheduled for their shots. The first phase has included frontline health care workers, first responders and staff and residents at long-term care facilities.

The state this week will release its plans for how other groups of people will be prioritized when more doses become available, and the registration website will be used to notify people when it's their turn, Collins said.

“We really want to get this right the first time,” she said. “We don't want to put something out and then recognize we didn't make the most thoughtful decision and so I'm working closely with the governor's office to make sure that we have everything aligned as we think about what's best for the community and keeping us safe and how we can do this efficiently and effectively given the limited supply.”

More than 106,500 doses have been delivered to New Mexico so far. While not all providers are reporting yet, the state estimates that roughly 60% of those doses have been administered.

Collins said the state is working with providers to address barriers to reporting so the data is more accurate. Eventually, she said, the state plans to post a public dashboard online that would show how many vaccines have been delivered and how many have been administered.

Nearly 300,000 people in New Mexico have registered to be vaccinated.

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.