Coronavirus

The U.S. saw an uptick in COVID cases in July after several months of steady declines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deputy Health Secretary and Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Laura Parajón spoke with KUNM about the status of the virus in New Mexico and how it's measured.

New Mexico is one of just five states that has kept its COVID-19 public health emergency order in effect. It was set to expire Friday but the governor announced it will stay in place for the rest of the month — the last of 41 extensions since March, 2020.

State health officials on August 4, 2022 said Monkeypox is a new public health emergency and that COVID cases remain high in a third of New Mexico counties thanks to the highly transmissible BA.5 variant. However the growth in case numbers has plateaued. Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase and Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Laura Parajon both spoke about the diseases.

New Mexico now has 11 counties with high COVID-19 community levels, including Bernalillo and Sandoval. That’s according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday, July 28. It’s six fewer counties than last week, but large swaths of red on the state map show the continuing surge driven by the highly transmissible BA5 variant.

The COVID-19 public health emergency allowed people enrolled in Medicaid to stay enrolled. But as the expiration date for that emergency looms many states are planning for big changes in Medicaid–including New Mexico.

State health officials on Wednesday reported 1,357 New confirmed COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths as numbers continue to rise around the state. KUNM’s Jered Ebenreck attended a press conference with New Mexico Department of Health officials to get an update on variants, vaccinations and safety guidelines ahead of the holidays.

The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in 10 states as of Friday, Dec. 3, including our neighbors in Colorado and Utah. While the variant is causing concern, New Mexico hospital officials earlier this week urged the public to not panic, but remain vigilant.

State health officials announced Wednesday, Aug. 25, that as COVID-19 cases continue to spike, New Mexico has an unprecedented waiting list for ICU beds…

Amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in New Mexico, and as the vaccination rate stagnates, the state announced Tuesday, Aug. 17, it is…

COVID-19 cases are surging nationwide, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week to issue new guidance for vaccinated people to mask up in areas with high transmission rates. But if infections continue to rise, some Western states have limited how officials can respond.