GRANTS, NM – Despite continued high-infection rates in Cibola County, the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency officially came to an end in the United States on May 11. New Mexico’s public health emergency officially expired with the national emergency, which halted COVID-19 data reporting to a screeching halt.
The Cibola Citizen sources its COVID-19 data from a variety of sources including the New Mexico Department of Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As the national public emergency comes to an end, so too does consistent data from these originations.
“The end of the national Public Health Emergency on May 11, signals a shift to a new phase of COVID-19,” said DOH Deputy Secretary Dr. Laura Parajon during a May 9 press conference. “We will continue to actively monitor trends related to COVID-19, to report data that can be used to protect ourselves and our communities.”
Usual data reporting for COVID-19 trends in Cibola will come to an end as the data becomes more difficult to track. DOH Internal Communication Director David Barre said in an email on May 12 that readers can find COVID-19 trend information by visiting https://cv.nmhealth.org/epidemiology- reports/
The Cibola Citizen will continue to track COVID-19 data as much as possible and continue doing monthly reports so long as this level of data reporting remains possible.
While the COVID-19 emergency has come to an official end in the US and New Mexico, the virus remains active and present in Cibola County. The New Mexico Department of Health released a statement about future prevention of the disease, saying “People at highest risk for severe COVID-19 are people over the age of 65 and individuals who are immunocompromised. We now have more tools and resources than ever before to prevent and treat COVID: Stay up to date on flu and COVID-19 vaccinations; Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID; If you do get COVID, get treated if you are at high risk for severe COVID; Stay home if you or your child is sick; Wash hands thoroughly and frequently; Keep common, high touch surface areas clean and regularly disinfected.”
As of May 15, at 3 pm, COVID-19 has been responsible for at least XXX deaths. These are only the confirmed deaths for the county, as the true toll may never be known.
Spokespeople for NMDOH said that readers interested in COVID-19 information can visit https://cv.nmhealth.org/epidemiology-reports/ to receive updates about the disease.
“The end of the national Public Health Emergency on May 11, signals a shift to a new phase of COVID19” – DOH Deputy Secretary Dr. Laura Parajon