SANTA FE – New Mexico is seeing its daily COVID-19 case totals decline, but health officials have been worried about whether the Christmas holiday could lead to another spike as it takes two to three weeks for infections to manifest.
On Monday, the state reported an additional 700 confirmed cases, bringing the total to more than 138,650 since the pandemic began.
The death toll stands at 2,380. Almost one-third of the 36 fatalities reported Monday involved people at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. A male inmate at the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility also was among the deaths.
Vaccinations of health care workers as well as staff members and residents at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities is ongoing.
Data collected by the state shows the virus has been most deadly for Hispanics and Native Americans. While those 65 years and older make up the largest group of people who have succumbed to the virus overall, deaths have been more evenly spread among younger groups of Hispanics and Native Americans.
The data also shows hypertension and diabetes are the leading underlying conditions among those who die from complications of a COVID-19 infection.
