CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – COVID-19 is on the decline in Cibola County after a month of record shattering cases led to the death of 12 residents and counting. Omicron was first discovered in the United States on December 1, it is a highly transmissible version of COVID-19 that has led to high positivity numbers through the county, the numbers are severely undercounted as they do not include positive home tests, those individuals who are positive without any symptoms, and those who refuse to test.
This omicron wave of COVID-19 was so infectious it broke all the county’s previous records. Just because COVID-19 is on the decrease, does not mean the danger has passed. The CDC urges all Americans to wear proper fitting masks and keep six-foot distance from those without masks.
Decreasing
Omicron began its march through Cibola County after the New Year’s celebrations. Omicron’s damage to Cibola County first became noticeable on January 4, when the county’s 14-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases began to rise, slowly at first, and then like wildfire the pandemic took root in Cibola County.
Before January 2022, November 2020 was Cibola’s most infectious month. The vaccines had not yet been approved for use, and Cibola County, like much of America, was shut down. The shutdown of small businesses, nonprofits, and normal daily life was in an effort to contain the deadly virus and slow the spread until vaccines could be approved for public use. At its peak, the November 2020 COVID-19 surge was averaging 70 new infections per day. At its peak, this Omicron wave which is finally declining in Cibola County, was averaging 94 new cases per day.
The 2022 Omicron wave was not unmitigated. The county may not have been shut down for commerce, but a large chunk of the community continued to wear their masks and social distance when possible. The largest difference between the 2020 wave and the 2022 wave, is the vaccine. Residents of Cibola County have a series of tools at their disposal now that can help slow the spread of COVID-19. Despite positive signs that Cibola County is on the decrease with COVID-19, now is not the time to stop preventative measures. Things are getting better, but Cibola’s COVID data suggests this beginning to stagnate without further decreases. In the two weeks from January 24 to February 7, Cibola County has decreased 51 percent.
What led Cibola’s omicron surge?
The rise in Cibola County’s COVID-19 surge came almost from school aged children in the 10–19-year-old demographic.
Since the beginning of January 2022, the age group 10-19 added 275 new cases. The 20-29 age group added 207 new cases, and the 30-39 age group added 202 new cases. These three age groups led the county in new COVID-19 cases. Since the beginning of January, the 90+ age demographic added just four new cases, the lowest of any age group. The 80-89 age group added 18 new cases, and the 70-79 age group added 46 new cases. These three age groups contributed the lowest amount to Cibola’s COVID-19 growth out of all the age groups.
How to continue protecting myself
Not every infection of COVID-19 creates a bad sickness, some infections are mild and others have no symptoms of illness at all. Many infections, however, lead to death. Since January, up to Feb. 7, Cibola County has experienced 12 COVID-19 related deaths, with the number expected to continue increasing as Cibola fights its way out of this wave.
To protect yourself against a worse infection please visit local pharmacies like Parkhurst on 1208 Bonita Avenue for a COVID-19 inoculation.
Visit https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/registration.html?section=1 to schedule a COVID-19 shot.