SANTA FE, N.M. — Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was vaccinated against COVID-19 on January 27. In a statement the governor said that she was glad to have the opportunity to get the shot after waiting her turn in line.
“I want all New Mexicans to know that the [New Mexico Department of Health is] is getting shots into aims as efficiently as we receive them from the federal administration — more efficiently than any state in the country,” the governor said.
Getting the shot
Governor Lujan Grisham, who is 61, joined the state’s pool of 60-74 years old who have received the shot. She is one of the 36.2 percent of New Mexicans who are currently partially vaccinated.
Governor Lujan Grisham received the Pfizer BioNTech, which will require a secondary shot to be administered in the future. The governor explained that she did not get to choose her which vaccine, and that she waited in line for the announcement that vaccine was available.
“I’ll be honest — I don’t like needles, so I was a little nervous. But the vaccine is safe and effective, and getting it means I’m doing my part to help end the pandemic,” Governor Lujan Grisham said on Twitter, “Just as our health officials have asked all New Mexicans to do, I will keep wearing my mask and physically distancing to protect myself, my family and my neighbors. It’s the most important thing we can do to maintain the progress we’ve made as a state in suppressing the virus.”
How many vaccines administered?
According to the New Mexico Department of Health, 22.3 percent of state residents have been fully vaccinated; and 36.2 percent of New Mexicans are currently partially vaccinated, meaning they have received at least their first shot and are awaiting their second.
In all, New Mexico had distributed 976,093 vaccines as of March 29, having received a total of 1,078,555 doses. In the last week New Mexico has administered 108,224 doses.
Where is Cibola County?
The New Mexico Department of Health currently does not share statistics by county about vaccine distribution. Cibola County is still designated as “yellow” in the state’s re-opening system. The county status is due to its “cases per 100,000 [people].” State standards say that this number must be below five percent before lowering the color designation and opening to more commercial activities. As of March 29, Cibola County was at 9.1 percent of people with COVID-19 per 100,000 people.
Cibola is the last county in the “Northwest” public health designation that is still yellow, the other two counties, McKinley and San Juan are both turquoise, which allows them to reopen at almost 100 percent, according to NMDOH data.
As of March 29, there were 219 active cases in Cibola County.
The county has recorded 2,592 recoveries from COVID-19, with a total of 2,811 cases having been knowingly contracted in the county. More than 63,000 tests have been administered in this county.
As of March 29, Cibola County has recorded 106 deaths from COVID-19.
To register for a vaccine visit, https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/ and create or visit your profile and follow the onscreen prompts.