"Thank you, New Mexico," Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said as she began speaking to the public on February 25, 2021. "This is another bright spot for our progress as we are managing COVID-19, and we are continuing to win against the deadly spread of this virus."
Grisham said Department of Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins and Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase were joining her in updating New Mexicans.
"We have a vast majority of counties in New Mexico that are in the yellow level," she said. "19 counties, that's incredible progress." She said 6 counties are "in the green," and 4 counties are in the newest designation, turquoise, which was formerly referred to as "green plus." The ability of so many counties to move toward better color designations indicates New Mexico is managing COVID-19. Grisham said the state as a whole is trending in the right direction.
"Our positivity rate is below 10," Grisham said. "That is incredible progress and we have a lot to be proud of." She said the virus won't disappear, but the prevalence can be drastically reduced.
"[All of] this doesn't mean the risk is gone, or the virus is gone," she said. "We really do need to continue to be incredibly dedicated to the public health measures like masks, social distancing, hand washing, hand sanitizer, and minimizing the number of outings we have as individuals."
Grisham said the capacity limits for retail spaces and restaurants are defined by each color designation. Information on the red-to-green framework can be found here and it is also contained in the public health order here.
Dr. Collins said New Mexico remains a leader in COVID-19 vaccination, including 3rd fastest for vaccine administration. Before reminding New Mexicans to register for the vaccine, she said more than 20% of residents are partially vaccinated, and more than 10% are fully vaccinated. More than 650,000 New Mexicans are registered at the website to help in administering doses easily.
"Our mission is to think about equity," Dr. Collins said. "We want to vaccinate New Mexicans quickly and equitably." She said this includes consideration of morbidity, mortality, and how best to reduce the spread. "How do we ensure equitable allocation? By using the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)." This helps the planning when targeting vulnerable populations.
Dr. Collins said ensuring equal access includes ensuring there are providers in high-SVI areas and places with high COVID-19 positivity. To help with access, soon mobile vaccination teams will be traveling to remote areas.
"We will be focusing on vaccinating seniors," she said. "They're the most at risk for morbidity and mortality. We're giving seniors extra time to respond to appointment invitations."
100% of nursing homes and long term care facilities have completed their first shots, and 90% of nursing homes and 75% of long term care facilities have completed their second shots. "We're making sure we get the most vulnerable group vaccinated," Dr. Collins said.
Dr. Scrase opened his part of the presentation by announcing the shipment of masks the federal government is delivering to community health centers, food pantries, and soup kitchens.
"Nothing is more important than 100% of people wearing a well-fitting mask," he said. "Even with the vaccine, this is the first line of defense."
The epidemiological team reported the latest analysis of quarantine lengths. "Quarantine can end after 10 days, if no symptoms have been reported," Dr. Scrase said. "This reduces the burden of quarantine when it comes to staying home from work, etc."
When it comes to that tenth day, Dr. Scrase said you have to be clear of all symptoms. "Please, please, please, take your temperature and if you have symptoms continue to isolate."
"Now we are at a point where the vaccine has lowered case rates by 25%, but quarantining positive cases plays a larger role in controlling the spread than the virus itself."