Lujan Grisham touts NM vaccination efforts

May 12—SANTA FE — New Mexico is on track to meet President Joe Biden's goal of having 70% of eligible residents get at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the Fourth of July, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told the president Tuesday.

The number of eligible New Mexicans with at least one dose of the vaccine eclipsed 60% on Tuesday, with the percentage of those fully vaccinated reaching 48.2%, according to the state Department of Health.

Lujan Grisham has pledged to remove most business restrictions under the state's color-coded risk system for virus transmission once New Mexico hits the 60% mark for fully vaccinated residents — a mark the state could hit by late June.

On Tuesday, Lujan Grisham was one of six governors — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — invited to speak to the president during a virtual White House event focused on nationwide vaccine administration efforts.

She said many New Mexico tribal groups — who were hit hard last year by the virus — would have 70% of their members fully vaccinated by July, and said some tribes already have even higher vaccination rates.

And the Democratic governor, who was previously considered for a Cabinet post in Biden's administration, said the state was also on track to meet the president's goal for its overall population.

"I can tell you we're going to meet your goal and exceed it," Lujan Grisham said.

However, the governor also said she would consider copying ideas used by other governors to incentivize vaccine-getting, such as free hunting or fishing licenses for individuals who get vaccinated.

"Every time someone has a good idea, we're deploying it and we appreciate your support to do that," Lujan Grisham said.

State health officials did announce Tuesday the start of a new program allowing businesses, churches, community centers and other organizations to request on-site vaccination clinics.

The on-site clinics — available at getvaxnm.com — will be offered to groups that can ensure the presence of at least 25 unvaccinated individuals, though Department of Health officials said some requests from the same geographic area may be consolidated into a single event.

New Mexico's rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths has slowed in recent months with the arrival of vaccines, but has not entirely subsided.

Three additional deaths related to the virus were reported Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 4,108 since the pandemic arrived in New Mexico in March 2020.

In addition, state health officials announced the number of confirmed cases has reached 200,037 — or nearly 10% of the state's population — with the addition of 137 new confirmed cases.

Nearly 93% of those who have tested positive for the virus have made a full recovery, according to DOH data, though that number could be even higher due to some unreported recoveries.