COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 1,357 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 334,324. DOH has designated 285,052 of those cases as recovered. Bernalillo County had 376 new cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 174 and Sandoval County with 96. Santa Fe County had 57 new cases. The seven-day statewide test positivity rate declined from 10.6% to 9.9%.
The state also announced 25 more deaths, 24 recent, including two from Santa Fe County: a female in her 80s from Santa Fe County who was hospitalized, had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Casa Real Facility in Santa Fe; and a male in his 30s from Santa Fe County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions. Santa Fe County has now had 190 deaths; there have been 5,516 total fatalities statewide. As of yesterday, 613 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Currently, 87.3% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75.1% are fully vaccinated. Among that demographic, 29.2% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 65.5% of people have had at least one dose and 56.3% are fully inoculated. Among children ages 5-11, 22.5% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 10.5% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 85% are fully vaccinated.
The City of Santa Fe will be hosting Moderna vaccination clinics for people ages 18 and older between 10 am and 3 pm today and on the remaining Thursdays in December—Dec. 23 and 30—at the Public Safety Building on the Midtown campus (adjacent to the Greer Garson Theater). The city yesterday issued a correction to its prior notice of these vaccine events to note they are only available to adults, not 16-17-year-olds. Anyone who received an initial vaccination with either Moderna, Pfizer or J & J can receive a Moderna booster. Walk-ups are allowed, but registering on the DOH website recommended. Bring a vaccination card and photo ID.
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster here and view a public calendar for vaccine availability here. Parents can add dependents to their vaccine profiles here. You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
One year with vaccines
One year ago this week, health care workers at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center became the first in the state to receive the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. New Mexico health officials yesterday acknowledged the one-year anniversary for vaccines. “It’s a bittersweet moment,” Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Laura Parajón said in a weekly COVID-19 news briefing yesterday afternoon. “We’re really excited that so many people were vaccinated in New Mexico compared to other states, but we’re also seeing [a] huge surge of cases.” The entire state is at high risk for community transmission, state Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross confirmed. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths also are rising nationally, she said. “We had been hoping we were seeing a deceleration in new cases,” Ross said, “but that doesn’t appear to be the case and we certainly worry about our high case rates, particularly as we head into the holiday season.” New Mexico’s cases continue to be driven by the Delta variant, Ross said, and thus far the state has only detected one case with the Omicron variant. Ross, however, expects more as early evidence indicates the variant is fast-spreading. To that end, health officials emphasized, as per usual, vaccinations and booster shots. New cases continue to be primarily among those who are not vaccinated. Over the last four weeks, 72% of cases were among the unvaccinated, as were 81.2% of hospitalizations and 81.6% of deaths. “Unvaccinated individuals continue to drive the pandemic,” Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said. “Unfortunately, our hospitals aren’t feeling any let up just yet,” he said, noting that ICU beds are “very tight” across the state, and emergency room waits exceedingly long.
Another late city audit
The City of Santa Fe was unable to meet yesterday’s deadline for filing its fiscal year 2021 audit with the State Auditor’s office. In a news release, the city said it needed extra time due “the unprecedented and extraordinary circumstances related to completion of the City’s fiscal year 2020 audit,” along with understaffing across all departments, with a 40% vacancy rate in the finance department. The 2020 audit, which became a focal point in November’s mayoral election, was completed in October and also was late, as were the city’s 2019 and 2018 audits. As for the most recent audit, the city says it plans to submit a trial balance to external auditors by March 31, 2022 and has a target date to submit financial statements to the State Auditor by the end of June 2022. “We have a corrective action plan in place to both complete the fiscal year ‘21 audit with fewer findings and complete the fiscal year ‘22 audit on time,” Mayor Alan Webber said in a statement. “I’m disappointed by this delay, as all Santa Feans should be, but I do want to stress that Santa Fe’s finances are strong and stable.” The city reported top ratings on its bonds last month. The city also released a list of actions it intends to take, including forming a special audit team for both FY21 and FY22; filling “critical positions” across the city to “manage financial functions”; and conducting an independent review “to assess the systems, processes and structures involved” in the audit preparation process.
Cannabis division issues first licenses
The state’s Cannabis Control Division yesterday announced it had issued its first three cannabis licenses. Aztec father/son team Steve Martinez and his sons Mitchell and Tony Martinez received the first producer license; Carver Family Farm of Albuquerque and BAUDABOOMZ2 LLC of Edgewood received the first micro producer licenses. “Our family and community of cultivators are thankful to have this opportunity cultivating a plant we love at scale,” Tony Martinez said in a statement released by the state. “We will continue sustainably producing terpene-rich cannabis for New Mexicans and are excited to enter the solvent-less extracts and retail market soon!” Regulation and Licensing Superintendent Linda M. Trujillo said more licenses are forthcoming—more than 120 producer license applications have been submitted and there are no limits on the number of licenses. “This is an exciting time to for New Mexico’s new cannabis industry,” CCD Director Kristen Thomson said in a statement. “These licenses are historic and not only move New Mexico forward, but also reflect New Mexico values of social equity and fairness.” Thomson’s statement says the state expects close to $300 million in sales, 11,000 jobs and $50 million in tax revenue in the first year; cannabis sales begin April 1 under the Cannabis Regulation Act. “This is a big day for New Mexico’s future,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “Creating an industry where New Mexico entrepreneurs can prosper and where communities can reap the economic benefit of a new industry is crucial. And today’s news is a key milepost in that ongoing effort.”
GOP lawmakers stall Senate map discussion
The fate of a newly designed map for state Senate districts remains in limbo, following late-night drama at the Roundhouse. The Albuquerque Journal reports Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, utilized a parliamentary maneuver—”Call of the Senate”—to block a floor vote on the map, which he described as “a travesty.” Ultimately, Senate Floor Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, postponed the vote when Sen. Crystal Diamond, R-Elephant Butte, couldn’t be located as the maneuver required her presence. Last night’s spectacle followed a walk-out last weekend by Native American leaders regarding Senate redistricting, sparked when Democrats amended the original redistricting map in order to unpair two Republicans. Native American leaders have been in discussions with legislative leaders all week, with Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, telling the Journal lawmakers plan to withdraw those amendments following negotiations and have also reached an agreement regarding boundary lines in Gallup-area state Senate seats. Republicans, however, say the new Senate map, along with one for Public Education Commission districts, negatively impacts Hispanic populations. “I will continue to object to these maps that are based on diluting the Hispanic population and ignoring the Hispanic population in the state,” Greg Baca, R-Belen, said.
Listen up
As the US surpassed 800,000 COVID-19 deaths this week, NPR took time on yesterday’s Morning Edition to remember one New Mexico woman who died: Florinda Flores, 85, a grandmother in Roswell, beloved by her grandson Chencho Flores. “You always knew when you were going to go to her house that you were going to have her famous enchiladas,” Flores said. “And for me— because, you know, I was a little special—she would make me my own little pumpkin pie.” The Word jumped the gun with yesterday’s recommendation for Brooke Williams’ book event for Mary Jane Wild: Two Walks & a Rant. That’s actually at 6 pm tonight on Zoom courtesy of Collected Works Bookstore; register here and order the book here. Apologies for the error! The wind scrambled our brains more than usual.
The struggle is real
Fast Company magazine spotlights a New Mexico woman’s challenges balancing new parenthood during the pandemic as an example of the need for paid leave. According to the story, Kim Donoghue, 35, moved to the state with her husband and began working in marketing for state government (we believe that was as the Tourism Department’s marketing manager). Finding a job when she got here was hard, Donoghue says. “The thing that surprised me is, I’m fairly well-established in my field, and I have a lot of marketable skills,” she says. “But when I moved to New Mexico, I had a really hard time finding a job. I think that’s because for a lot of the positions, they’re looking for people from New Mexico.” And it doesn’t sound as though working for the state while pregnant was easy either, with Donoghue saying she had trouble “finding answers as to what I would be allowed to take in terms of leave, paid or unpaid, with my pregnancy.” In fact, “I actually didn’t hear back until I was sitting there, nine months pregnant, three or four days before my due date. HR finally called me and said my unpaid leave was approved.” Because her daughter was born in April 2020, just after stay-at-home orders went into effect, Donoghue ended up taking care of her daughter—who had medical issues—while trying to work from home, and describes the stress she endured and the way in which paid leave would have helped the situation.
Vegan treats
SFR checks in again with Plantita Vegan Bakery owner Thomas Kamholz in advance of his Dec. 18 pop-up event and his specialty holiday menu (we recently splurged on some of his vegan bagels, and they were legit). Kamholz says he’s sticking with pop-up events and a make-to-order model for now in lieu of a brick and mortar shop. The pop-ups, he says, have “been really good for me, because I’ve had people ask me if they can just get a couple things, and I have a whole clientele base who comes to the pop-ups, but they don’t do the advanced order stuff.” Kamholz provides a sneak preview for some of the items on his holiday menu, which includes an Italian-inspired vegan pot pie, a childhood treat of his called German rock cookies and a Yule log he’s been perfecting: “The Yule log has been interesting because I don’t have a lot of experience rolling up Swiss rolls, but I’ve been practicing. It’s a mint cream with mint chocolate ganache and chocolate cake. It’s not technically a buche de noel, y’know, like, with the little mushrooms on top, but it’s a mint chocolate Yule log.” Joy to the world!
Luxuriating in NM
Luxury Travel Magazine homes in on New Mexico, identifying three must-visit spots in The Land of Enchantment. “This is a land that boasts many wonders, bizarre rock formations, and history literally etched in the rock by the ancient Puebloans who once called the region home,” the magazine writes. “New Mexico holds a vastness unmatched by most of its western neighbors. And you might even feel as though you’ve stepped back in time, into an era when simplicity rang as true as the gnarled Juniper clings to the arid ground.” The story recommends a road trip—presumably a luxurious one—with stops at Chaco Canyon, Santa Fe and…Roswell. Here in Santa Fe, the magazine recommends staying at La Fonda on the Plaza and hiking at sunset (right now that would be about 4:30 pm). In Roswell, the city’s UFO history receives recognition via the International UFO Museum and Research Center, with additional recommendations for the Roswell Museum and Art Center.
Calm down
Yesterday’s wind was no joke. It downed a tree in front of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the National Weather Service records 70 mph winds at the Santa Fe Airport (103 mph at Taos Ski Valley) And speaking of weather and ski valleys or, to be precise, the climate and ski valleys, the New York Times takes a look at how climate change is impacting the country’s ski resorts and how some are trying to do their part to combat it, with a shout-out to Taos Ski Valley for its food-composting efforts. But enough about the past: Forecasts say today will be sunny, with a high near 46 degrees and north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the morning.
Thanks for reading! The Word is overly excited to read the New Yorker profile of Alison Roman.
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