In New Mexico, cases of the virus are declining as more people are vaccinated.Coronavirus

New Mexico’s coronavirus cases are declining sharply as the state continues to deploy vaccinations, and the Ministry of Health expects more injections next week, health officials said. Said on Wednesday.

The 7-day moving average for new cases in the state was 369 as of February 11, above the target of 168, but much lower than at any point in the last four months.

“Fortunately, incidents are steadily declining, and that’s what we want. It’s happening in every part of the state,” said Dr. David Skrays, New Mexico’s Human Services Secretary. I have. ” Virtual press conference. “Some of them are down a bit more than others, but we’re seeing good progress everywhere. I’m happy to see that. That’s good news for New Mexico.”

The state received 450,299 two-shot vaccines and 143,578 people received both shots.

The number of doses given daily increased by 22 percent compared to two weeks ago. The state has managed an average of 10,820 shots a day over the past week.

New Mexico has received 454,350 doses from the federal government and expects to receive another 72,510 shots next week. This is 4,600 more times than last week.

Over 628,000 New Mexicans registered, State website..

“We take almost every dose every week …. For the second dose, the numbers two weeks ago have doubled,” said Dr. Tracie Collins, State Secretary of Health. At a conference call.

She said the state wants a new vaccine available in early March. It will help strengthen the supply.

Meanwhile, Collins quoted a “supply and demand mismatch.”

“We still want to increase the dose of the vaccine, but now we have about 800,000 qualified new Mexicans. [for the vaccine] Based on our standards. “

The state includes residents of the first two subgroups of Phase 1B (people aged 75 and over and residents aged 16 and over who are at risk of developing serious illness complications) and hospital workers. All people in Phase 1A are vaccinated. Medical first responders, and residents and employees of long-term care facilities.

Some people are dissatisfied with how the vaccine is being deployed.

15.7% of New Mexico over the age of 75 receive both injections, accounting for more than any other age group, but some older people complain that it is difficult to get vaccinated. I’m waiting.

There are also significant differences in vaccination rates between counties. Only 10.9% of Eddie County residents are partially vaccinated and 3.3% are fully vaccinated, while state data show that 32.8% of Harding County residents are first vaccinated. , 15% are both vaccinated.

In Santa Fe County, 16.1% of residents are first dosed and 8.6% are fully vaccinated.

Of all fully vaccinated residents of New Mexico, 8.1% are Caucasian, while 5.9% identify them as Hispanic or Latino.

“Disagreements are something we are constantly tracking for improvement and are part of our equity plan when considering the most vulnerable communities,” Collins said.

“Now we’re back to evaluate how we might have missed a lot [sites] We will improve it around the state and ensure that the vaccine is distributed fairly to all sites. “

In an email, Health Department spokesman Matt Beaver mentioned supply and demand challenges.

“Thanks to so many New Mexicans for wanting to be vaccinated, DOH wants to vaccinate them, but we rely on the federal government for supply.” He said.

Christus St, Santa Fe’s two largest healthcare providers. Officials at the Vincent Regional Medical Center and Presbyterian Healthcare Services said they were immunizing residents as soon as possible.

“Every step to strengthen our efforts will lead to direct supply,” said Arturo Delgado, a spokesman for Christos St. Vincent. “If our supply increases, we are ready to increase the number of vaccinations we give to our community to over 4,000 per week.”