New Mexico COVID-19 news recap

The state of New Mexico reported 5,255 new COVID-19 cases this weekend: 2,080 on Friday, 1,925 on Saturday and 1,250 on Sunday. The state reported 76 new deaths related to the disease in the same three days.
- The case numbers in the state had a big drop in the last week, the USA Today Network reported.
The vaccine rollout will be a major undertaking with a ton of hurdles, the Santa Fe New Meixcan reported.
The Navajo Nation was one of the hardest-hit areas in the country earlier in the pandemic. Now cases are increasing again, and doctors said they’re in crisis mode, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- See also the report from the Navajo Times.
- The Navajo Nation requested a major disaster declaration because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
The surge in hospitalizations, which hasn’t appreciably fallen, is pushing hospitals towards rationing care, KOB-TV reported.
In Doña Ana County, some with COVID-19 are being treated at home, KOAT-TV reported.
Fewer New Mexicans than previously expected will qualify for the one-time unemployment check the Legislature approved in a special session late last month. Read more here.
Employers still have to report COVID-19 cases to the state, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Education leaders say teachers should be among those given priority for access to the COVID-19 vaccine, KOB-TV reported.
As of Friday, Los Alamos National Laboratory ahd 370 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Los Alamos Reporter wrote.
Last week the City of Albuquerque started delivering PPE to local businesses, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Businesses in Silver City reopened after the state’s two-week “reset,” the Silver City Daily Press reported.
Small businesses in Las Vegas are struggling, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
The Santa Fe New Mexican wrote about what high school athletes are thinking while they’re unable to compete in athletics.
KRQE-TV covered what local bands and venues are doing during the pandemic.
San Miguel County is the lone county in the “yellow” zone for reopening, the Las Vegas Optic reported.
The sheriff in Taos County believes the county will remain in the red status for months, KRQE-TV reported.
The state announced more “oral swab” tests will be used in southern New Mexico, KRQE-TV reported.
Researchers at New Mexico State University are looking to improve the food chain in a COVID-19 world, the university announced.
The father of a Rio Rancho teacher died from COVID-19, the Rio Rancho Observer reported.
The Taos News also wrote about death during the pandemic.
Salons in the Las Cruces area were serving a backlog of clients, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
Red River Ski Area opened this weekend, while Taos Ski Valley will open soon, the Taos News reported.