Daily coronavirus infections steeply rise in New Mexico

SANTA FE – Newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped to 426 statewide in the second-highest single-day tally of the pandemic, state health officials said Wednesday.

Two fatalities were announced as virus-related deaths approach the 900 mark.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is showing no signs of infection as she self-quarantines in response to one positive test result by a custodian at the governor’s mansion in Santa Fe.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in New Mexico decreased over the past two weeks, going from 4 deaths per day on Sept. 22 to 3 deaths per day on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

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At the same time, the average positivity rate has climbed over the past two weeks from 2.1% to 3.65%, and daily positive tests have nearly doubled from 120 on Sept. 22 to 235 on Tuesday.

Comparing seven-day averages of new cases smooths out anomalies in the data, including delays in test results.

Doña Ana County tallied 70 new cases Wednesday, it's fourth highest one-day total. Cases in New Mexico's second most populous county have been on the rise since mid-September. The 291 new cases in the week ending Oct. 4 constitute the county's second highest weekly total, eclipsed only by the week ending July 19.

Nearly 43 percent of the 3,783 cases in Doña Ana County reported since March have been in residents younger than 30, according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard. All of the 59 county residents registered as a COVID-19-related deaths have been over age 40, most of them having reported underlying conditions.

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New Mexico State University's COVID-19 dashboard shows 29 new student cases and 5 new staff cases since mid September.

The Public Education Department tallied 15 new cases for schools — 11 of those are students, including four youths in Curry County.

Gadsden Independent School District, in southern Doña Ana County, reported a faculty member at Chaparral High passed away Monday from possible COVID-related symptoms. Leo Lugo, who lived in El Paso, was 56 years old.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.