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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 11 September 2020 11 September 2020

By Hallie Richwine

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham started the most recent press conference by relaying the updated COVID-19 case information for New Mexico. "Our rolling seven-day average is the lowest since mid-March which is incredibly good news," she said. She turned over the conference to Dr. David Scrase of the Human Services Department to review modeling trends.

Scrase reiterated the significant drop in the rolling seven-day average. He congratulated New Mexicans on their efforts. "We don't get to our best numbers if people aren't wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, and keeping their hands and surfaces clean," he said.

He mentioned the probability that for every positively confirmed case, there are likely 3.4 untested cases. The latest projections from the CDC are that there are eight cases per one positively confirmed case, so New Mexico is ahead of much of the United States. Scrase added that test accuracy is around 98%.

He also reminded New Mexicans not to delay healthcare, highlighting the rate of breast cancer. "It's the second most common cancer for women, after skin cancer. Putting off needed care affects your health." He pointed out that early detection means early care, which is often less of a financial burden.

The next topic was knowing the difference between the flu and COVID-19. "If you have symptoms, get the test to sort out what you have," Scrase said. "The only things that really differentiate COVID from the flu are shortness of breath and the loss of taste and/or smell." He said the medical community is anticipating a less severe flu season due to mask-wearing and other COVID-safe practices.

The gating criteria itself slipped in the area of testing, specifically the number of tests per day. "This could be a decrease in public interest, the weather, or the holiday weekend," Scrase said.

"Nothing about the virus has changed," he said. He said to remember the difference between the on/off switch and a dimmer switch, his analogy to remind everyone to stay the course in their COVID-safe practices.

Most importantly, Scrase reminds New Mexicans that we are not alone.

"I appreciate that New Mexicans are making a huge difference," said Grisham. "Until there is a vaccine, our success is the behavior of New Mexico's residents." Her hope is that more counties reduce transmission rates. "We are well aware that the virus is challenging and unfair. Families with children have been impacted in enormous ways."

Ryan Stewart, Secretary for the Public Education Department, gave back-to-school updates. "We want to get everything right and be a model for how to do so," he said. He thanked fire marshals for helping with personal protective equipment usage and disposal, social distancing tips and strategies, and assessing facility conditions.

Stewart said daily reporting from the school districts helps drive what the respective strategies are. This means case numbers will be reviewed daily. He reminded everyone that if they have symptoms, stay home. "Heed all medical advice to keep yourself and your neighbors safe. We want to maximize in-person learning, but we will continue to assess data where it is safe to do so."

"We are focusing on New Mexico families," Grisham said. "We are working toward successful school reentry."

Early Childhood Education and Care Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said while it may be a challenging time to open a new agency, childcare is an essential service. They are working hard to make sure families afford care and providers receive funds.

Groginsky encourages families that are eligible to apply for assistance.

Grisham thanked the Secretaries for their updates. "New Mexico is in a good place," she said.

The full slideshow is available HERE.

For further information and resources, please refer to the following:

Updated COVID-19 information

New Mexico Early Childhood and Care Department

New Mexico Environment Department

New Mexico Education Department

New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions

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