Half-dozen added southern New Mexico virus deaths as state worries about reduced vaccine supply

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- New Mexico's confirmed Covid-19 cases topped 161,800 on Friday as officials reported an uptick in new infections with 1,266 additional cases, including 190 in Doña Ana County.

Another 38 deaths were also reported Friday, bringing the statewide fatality total since the pandemic began to more than 2,870.

Six of those latest deaths occurred in southern New Mexico's Doña Ana and Otero counties and included:

• A man in his 60s from Otero County who was hospitalized.
• 2 women in their 70s from Doña Ana County who were hospitalized.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of the Welbrook Senior Living facility in Las Cruces.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of the Casa de Oro Center in Las Cruces.
• A man in his 80s from Otero County who was hospitalized.

As the week draws to a close, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and top public health officials point to the bump in Covid-19 cases and stressed that more people need to get tested so the state can quickly identify where outbreaks are happening as they try to curb the spread of the virus.

However, the governor also said she’s optimistic given that the rate of positive tests is much lower than it was just a couple months ago when New Mexico saw a dramatic spike.

“We absolutely can see light at the end of this very long, dark tunnel," she said, also noting the state’s progress with vaccine distribution.

But the governor and other officials expressed disappointment Friday to learn that the state may not get as many additional vaccine doses as promised by the federal government just days ago.

The state currently has one of the best vaccination rates in the U.S., with more than 108,000 doses out of the 153,000 that have been shipped to it being administered to date. Over one-third of those shots were administered within the last week.

State officials have credited the success to a novel registration system that requires residents to sign up. They are then notified when they become eligible for a shot and appointment slots are scheduled.

Nearly 430,000 residents — roughly one-fifth of the population — have signed up in what is the only type of Covid-19 vaccine registration program of its kind in the nation.

Matt Bieber, a spokesman with the state Health Department, said state officials were trying Friday to get more information about New Mexico's vaccine allocation going forward.

New Mexico is not alone as uncertainty over the pace of federal Covid-19 vaccine allotments has triggering anger and confusion in some states.