COVID testing site moves to old armory
GRANTS, N.M. – Vaccinations have begun across Cibola County, New Mexico to help stop COVID-19 and bring life back into the streets.
Cibola General Hospital reported that more than 80 people had been vaccinated against the virus on Monday morning, Acoma-Canoncito-Laguna Health Service Unit in Acoma, N.M. did not have statistics available, but first responders have also started to receive vaccinations. Staff at the New Mexico Department of Health’s Public Health Office in Grants has been assisting in the rollout of the vaccine across the county, and in Acoma.
In Grants and Milan, the battle is on. First responders like ambulance workers, firefighters and law enforcement will begin to receive their inoculations by the end of the week.
Optimism is high, but now is not the time to drop precautions, Cibola County Emergency Manager Dustin Middleton warned.
Until most people are vaccinated, citizens will have to continue with social distancing and mask wearing, the emergency manager explained. More than 200 doses were received by CGH; an undisclosed amount was also received by ACL Health Service Unit.
Despite the good news, there have been some issues with the rollout of the vaccine. Middleton said that the county expected to be further along in the vaccination process by now, but a delay in receiving the vaccine and receiving less than the expected amount have hampered the ability to vaccinate frontline workers.
At least one of the vaccines, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, requires super cold storage of roughly -100 degrees Fahrenheit. Cibola County and surrounding medical facilities prepared for the storage of the vaccines and it has not caused any issues with the rollout process.
Vaccine vials hold their efficacy for about six hours after it has been opened, and some vials are being found to have an extra dose in it, allowing for more vaccinations.
“As soon as the vaccine is available, I’ll be getting it,” Emergency Manager Middleton said, explaining that taking the vaccine is about protecting all the people of Cibola, while acknowledging that the vaccine is not mandatory and only those who feel confident in it should get vaccinated.
“I feel confident in the research I’ve done, as soon as it is available to me I’ll take part,” Middleton said.
Where is Cibola today?
On Tuesday Dec. 15 Cibola County had recorded 1,935 total positive cases with 58 deaths.
AS of Monday, Dec. 21 Cibola County had 2,022 total positive cases, a 4.4 percent jump and added three deaths, bringing the total to 61, a 5.1 percent increase.
There are 1,100 active cases and 922 people have recovered in Cibola.
The public health office has administered 42,440 tests to date.
In the three area prisons, there are 418 total positives at the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan; 95 total positive cases at the Northwest Correctional Facility on Sakalares Boulevard in Grants; a total of five positive cases at Western Correctional Facility on Lobo Canyon Road in Grants. NMDOH does not provide recovery statistics for the prisons.
Testing changes
There have been a few changes made for those getting tested. The process remains the same, but the location has changed.
Residents must first register at cvtestreg.nmhealth.org and find Cibola to be tested for COVID-19.
The testing location is no longer behind Smith’s grocery store on Roosevelt Avenue in Grants; it has been moved to 2001 Cliff Lear Avenue in Grants. The site is on the eastside of the city and near the Cibola Senior Citizens Center.
The GIS data has not been updated; this location will not appear on applications like Google Maps. Community members can instead follow signage beyond the Interstate-40 overpass on East Santa Fe Avenue headed toward the old armory, according to health officials.
“As soon as the vaccine is available, I’ll be getting it. ”
– Cibola County Emergency Manager Dustin Middleton