State Department of Health confronts new virus strain as agency faces staff shortages

Jul. 8—State Sen. Martin Hickey, D-Albuquerque, might have best expressed lawmakers' concerns about the spread of a coronavirus variant.

"Are we ready for the next COVID?" Hickey asked outgoing Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins during a legislative hearing Wednesday.

Hickey was one of many lawmakers on the Legislature's interim Health and Human Services Committee to bring up concerns about the delta variant, which was first detected in India and is believed to be more transmissible and dangerous than other strains.

According to the Department of Health, New Mexico has had only 33 reported cases of the Delta variant, which is spreading across the U.S. and in nearly 40 other nations.

Collins, who announced last week she is stepping down from her Cabinet position to return to the University of New Mexico where she served as dean of the College of Population Health, presented information on the department's efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, even as the agency wrangles with a worker shortage.

The Department of Health's vacancy rate is about 20 percent, according to Jeff Lara, director of the Public Health Division.

Collins said the department has been struggling with vacancies since she came on board about nine months ago. "Some of it is long term, some generated by the pandemic," she said.

Some of the vacancies, Collins added, are due to underfunding.

Lara said part of the problem is an "inability" to recruit doctors, nutritionists, clinicians and administrative workers during the pandemic. Vying for such professionals against private entities that can pay them more money is a challenge, he said.

"Competition is out there," Lara said. "A budget increase could help us."

While Collins spoke of her agency's success in slowing the coronavirus through testing and vaccinations — nearly 63 percent of state residents were fully vaccinated and over 71 percent partially vaccinated as of Wednesday, she said — legislators said they remain wary of the delta variant's potential.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky recently said the variant accounts for 25 percent of new coronavirus cases in the nation. The vast majority of those infected were not vaccinated.

Lawmakers at Wednesday's hearing spoke of a need to vaccinate more New Mexicans — and to find ways to overcome some residents' reluctance to be inoculated.

Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, said she hears from constituents who are hesitant because the vaccines have only received emergency approval from the federal government.

Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, who has an autistic son, said some people believe vaccinations can lead to autism, despite numerous studies finding no evidence to support this.

Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, both Albuquerque Democrats, raised concerns about whether the state is doing enough to reach out to Hispanic and Native American communities about the spread of the virus, and communicate about its effects in a way that respects their cultures.

Collins said her team is working on a plan to get the message out about vaccines and to increase vaccination rates.

"I want to see the number even higher," she told committee members.

Hickey, whose professional career spanned many facets of health care, urged Collins to make sure her department is ready for a new round of coronavirus.

"As a physician, I know we're going to get [the delta variant]," he said.

"And it's going to impact the huge number of people in this state who have resisted getting vaccinated. It could potentially be devastating."

He suggested the state prepare a National Guard-like corps of health professionals ready to track the variant, should it continue to spread.