New Mexico health officials say coronavirus hospitalizations remain high
Dec. 9—New Mexico on Wednesday had its highest number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations since Jan. 2 — and the state hasn't yet seen an expected bump in cases from the Thanksgiving holiday, health officials said.
The state recorded 687 COVID-19 hospitalizations Wednesday. Modeling predicts the number will stay steady or increase slightly in the coming weeks, acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during an online briefing.
The high numbers of hospitalizations are continuing to strain the state's medical facilities. As of Tuesday, there were 13 available intensive care unit beds and 57 medical and surgical beds available statewide, Scrase said. On a recent day, an unidentified Albuquerque hospital had 90 people waiting for a hospital bed, he added, while other large hospitals have reported high numbers of patients leaving without being treated.
"We're not seeing any downturn, and that's what's most important," Scrase said.
People who arrive at a hospital could spend days in the emergency room waiting to be transferred for care, he said, encouraging people with less-severe ailments to see their primary care providers instead of calling 911. Scrase also urged New Mexicans to download the NM Notify contact-tracing app, which alerts users if they've been exposed to the virus.
Dr. Christine Ross, the state epidemiologist, said the Thanksgiving holiday can be "quite extended" for some people, meaning it likely won't result in a corresponding one- or four-day case increase.
"We know there was a really high number of people traveling this Thanksgiving, and I think that included a lot of New Mexicans as well," she said. "So I think we need a little more time to see those numbers."
Scrase said he hears questions about why New Mexico's coronavirus caseloads are so high, given it was a leader in initial vaccinations. There are far more variables to consider, he said, among them spending more time in crowds, mask compliance, keeping one's hands clean and not coughing into the air.
Michael E. Richards, senior vice president for clinical affairs at University of New Mexico Health, was a guest speaker during Wednesday's briefing and preached patience.
"We're seeing more difficult and more frequent situations where family members contribute to creating a difficult environment because of their frustrations with long waits," he said about crowded hospitals.
Underscoring the challenge faced by the state, Scrase shared stories of resistance he has faced during public outreach in recent months.
He said people in crowds sometimes remove their masks in an act of defiance when they see him, as they view it as a political statement against government control. A crowd did so at a recent event where he was speaking, Scrase added.
He said he sent the organizer of an event where he spoke a letter saying he wouldn't return without a guarantee that all listeners would wear masks.
"I'm slowly trying to work my way through the psychology of this," Scrase said, adding: "I've spent a lot of the summer adopting a completely nonjudgmental attitude toward people who go unvaccinated. I still struggle with it, with people who take off their masks while I'm in the room."
