New Mexico sees drop in virus cases as more residents get vaccinated
New Mexico’s coronavirus caseload is falling sharply as the state continues to roll out vaccinations, with the Department of Health expecting another large shipment of shots next week, health officials said Wednesday. The state’s seven-day rolling average of new cases was 369 as of Feb. 11, above a target of 168 but far lower than at any point in the past four months.
“The good news is we’re seeing the steady downward trend in cases, which is what we want to see. And that’s happening really in every area of the state,” said Dr. David Scrase, New Mexico’s human services secretary, in a virtual news conference. “Some a little bit more downward trending than others, but we’re seeing good progress everywhere. We’re happy to see that, and that’s good news for New Mexico.”
The state has administered 450,299 doses of the two-shot vaccine, with 143,578 people receiving both shots. The number of doses given each day has increased 22 percent compared to two weeks ago. On average, the state has administered 10,820 shots a day over the past week. New Mexico has received 454,350 doses from the federal government and expects to receive an additional 72,510 shots next week — 4,600 more shots than it received last week. More than 628,000 New Mexicans have registered to get their shots using a state website.
“We’re administering nearly all our doses every week. … We’ve had a doubling in the figures from two weeks ago regarding the second doses administered,” said Dr. Tracie Collins, the state’s health secretary-designate, who also took part in the conference call. The state is hoping for a new vaccine to become available in early March, she said, which would help bolster supplies.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/coronavirus/new-mexico-sees-drop-in-virus-cases-as-more-residents-get-vaccinated/article_3dcbcd3a-7140-11eb-a50b-eb3c49dc5a9b.html