New Mexico state health officials on Sunday, March 29, announced 29 additional positive tests for COVID-19, including a second positive case in Valencia County.
DOH hasn’t provided any more information about the case, such as age and gender.
Per the state Department of Health, the most recent cases are:
- 9 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 1 new case in Chaves County
- 2 new cases in Curry County
- 1 new case in Eddy County
- 4 new cases in McKinley County
- 4 new cases in San Juan County
- 3 new cases in Sandoval County
- 4 new cases in Santa Fe County
- 1 new case in Valencia County
The number of deaths in the state related to COVID-19 remains at two.
Including the above newly reported cases, New Mexico has now had a total of 237 positive tests for COVID-19:
- Bernalillo County: 101
- Chaves County: 8
- Cibola County: 2
- Curry County: 3
- Doña Ana County: 17
- Eddy County: 4
- Lea County: 2
- McKinley County: 9
- Rio Arriba County: 2
- Roosevelt County: 1
- Sandoval County: 18
- San Juan County: 22
- San Miguel County: 1
- Santa Fe County: 34
- Socorro County: 2
- Taos County: 9
- Valencia County: 2
County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.
David Morgan, spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Health, said the department is legally required to protect the privacy of patients.
“We are not providing any further specific data on individual cases other than age group, sex and county,” Morgan said via email.
Duke City Urgent Care in Los Lunas has a limited number of test swabs, according to staff at the main office in Albuquerque. Staff at the urgent care are only testing what they consider high risk patients at this time, and moderate risk patients will be referred to a testing location in Albuquerque.
If you are having symptoms, call Duke City’s main number, 814-1995, and chose option 1 to schedule a video visit with a provider.
Once a provider has done an evaluation by video, the patient will be instructed to go to the Los Lunas location or other testing facility if it is warranted.
Staff at Bella Vida Health Care’s walk-in clinic in Los Lunas is referring patients who describe COVID-19 symptoms to Optum Healthcare locations in Albuquerque.
Optum’s urgent care can be reached at 262-3233 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The triage line for Optum is 232-1010 and is answered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The clinic staff said when samples are sent to their lab for testing for ailments such as strep throat, the lab is also screening for COVID-19, but the clinic itself is not testing and does not have test kits.
If someone develops symptoms of COVID-19 — fever, dry cough or shortness of breath — they should contact their medical provider or call the state’s hotline, 1-855-600-3453, to get guidance.
Patients who suspect they have symptoms of the virus are urged to call providers before visiting a medical facility.
On Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that Valencia County residents may call the Belen public health office two days next week to speak with a nurse to determine their need for COVID-19 testing.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, residents may call the nurse at 864-7743, extension 1101, to determine their need for testing.
The nurses will provide education, recommendations on isolation and identify those who should receive COVID-19 testing.
As of today, Sunday, March 29, there are 22 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico. This number does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.
As of today, there are 26 COVID-19 cases designated as having recovered by the New Mexico Department of Health.
The Department of Health has detected community spread and is investigating cases with no known exposure. The agency reports that given the infectious nature of the virus it is likely other residents are infected but yet to be tested or confirmed positive.
To that end, all New Mexicans have been instructed to stay home except for outings absolutely necessary for health, safety and welfare. These additional restrictions have been enacted to aggressively minimize person-to-person contact and ensure spread is mitigated.
All businesses except those deemed essential have been ordered to close. New Mexicans are strongly urged to limit travel to only what is necessary for health, safety and welfare.
The New Mexico Department of Health has active investigations into the positive patients, which includes contact-tracing and swabs of symptomatic individuals who have had contact with the positive cases.
New Mexicans who report symptoms of COVID-19 infection, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, should call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately 1-855-600-3453.
While the state is gratified that COVID-19 testing is increasingly available, testing must be prioritized for persons with symptoms of COVID-19 infection – fever, cough or shortness of breath.
This is allergy season, and allergy symptoms such as sneezing or itchy eyes, nose or throat do not indicate a need for testing.
New Mexicans who have non-health-related questions or concerns can also call 833-551-0518 or visit newmexico.gov, which is being updated regularly as a one-stop source for information for families, workers and others affected by and seeking more information about COVID-19.
The state Department of Health will update its dedicated COVID-19 webpage with additional tests as the state lab provides results.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 18, 2024
