COVID-19

Recent wastewater analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ranks New Mexico as one of four states with a very high level of COVID-19.

As we head into the holiday season and gather with family and friends, it’s also the time for respiratory diseases to hit their peak.

The state Department of Health says only about 10% of New Mexicans got the updated vaccine last year, this year they are trying to smooth the process and clarify the messaging.

Nearly 1.2 million people have died from COVID in the United States since the first cases emerged four years ago, according to the CDC.And today an estimated 16 million people have the lingering symptoms of long COVID, with about one quarter of them no longer able to work. Researchers at the University of New Mexico Hospital are using findings from a multi-site long COVID study to learn how to diagnose prolonged symptoms and provide better treatment.

Very few nursing home residents are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination, and for residents, it’s even lower. New Mexico’s numbers are not much better than the country overall.

County and Tribal health councils are mandated by state law, but unless they get more funding in the legislative session, most of their operating budgets will disappear. One bill aims to prevent that.

New Mexico is seeing a “small uptick” in COVID cases, according to Deputy Health Secretary and Acting State Epidemiologist Laura Parajón. She recommended those under 65 get another vaccine booster when updated versions that target the XBB.1.5 subvariant are approved. Older New Mexicans, she said, may want to get theirs sooner.

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.

Recently, the New Mexico Department of Health announced changes to how and when people can access information about COVID transmission in the state. Several programs will be completely discontinued and reporting of cases will be scaled back. Some public health workers say that will make their work more difficult.

A new analysis shows that states in the Mountain West suffered some of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the U.S. between January 2020 and July 2022.