Flu shot or COVID shot? How about both?
Reporter CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Cibola County appears to have reached a peak in this third-wave of COVID-19 infections, ending September with 3,339 total COVID cases. In Cibola County, as across the rest of the world, the latest COVID-19 surges are being driven by the Delta Variant of COVID-19 – the same disease, but more contagious – Delta began to surge in Cibola County on August 2, lasting about two months, Delta appears to have peaked on September 28. With over a week’s worth of declining COVID-19 cases in Cibola following the surge. Historically, deaths follow large surges of COVID-19, typically lagging behind the surge, a trend which is holding true as five COVID-19 attributed deaths have been reported since the start of the surge.
Cibola General Hospital urges residents that masks and social distancing of six-feet are some of the most effective tools at combatting COVID-19, but that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine remains the best tool to protect oneself and others around them from the virus. Addressing citizen concerns about whether to receive the flu vaccine or the COVID-19 vaccine, CGH’s Cynthia Tena said, “Dependent on the criteria for a booster, people should get both a booster and flu shot. Officials recommend that it is a good timing to get both the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine together.”
Since the Delta Surge began, at least five Cibola Citizens have died of COVID-19. The number is potentially higher as a holiday lag in COVID-19 case data means the accurate count of COVID-19 related deaths in Cibola County were not available by press time.
Cibola’s COVID-Watchers may notice a change in data on Page A1 of this edition. Previously, the Cibola Citizen was tracking COVID-19 percentage change on a weekly basis. However, tracking COVID-19 like that is less effective than by keeping a two-week rolling average, this is because with a rolling average it is easier to find the average daily case growth for the county. From this point forward the percentage change will not be week-to-week, but instead a 14-day change rate.
Delta Variant Peaks
July 2021 saw, on average, less new COVID-19 cases than July 2020. In the opening week of July Cibola was averaging one new positive COVID case per day, falling to zero new positive cases per day in the second week. This trend persisted until July 19, a Monday, when the state announced seven new positive cases in Cibola County. From this point until August 1, Cibola was averaging one new positive case per day.
On August 2, another Monday, the low cycle of new cases buckled and Cibola reported six new COVID cases, this was only the beginning of what has been a deadly surge.
By August 9 Cibola County had 155 active cases, August 26 saw the highest daily increase of the month: 19 new cases. By August 30, Cibola County had 237 active COVID cases. The month of August saw four Cibola resident deaths from COVID-19. One additional death followed at the beginning of October.
September opened like a determined boxer in the last ten seconds of the 12th round, adding 27 new positive cases in just the first three days. Unfortunately, data becomes skewed at this point because of reporting anomalies by the state which delayed the release of results, altering data for the entire state. When data was reporting regularly again, on Sept. 13 through September 20, Cibola was averaging eight new COVID-19 cases daily.
Delta added 22 new cases on September 20, from that point until September 27 Cibola was averaging nine new cases per day. September 28 appears to be the day that Delta peaked in Cibola, plateauing at 12 new cases per day until a significant drop in positive cases followed. As of October 12, at press time, Cibola was averaging six cases per day. This data comes after three consecutive days of no data reporting by the state, this is because the state stopped providing daily data on the weekends, and does not report case data on holidays, and October 11 was Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The 30–39-year-old demographic made up the bulk of Cibola’s newest COVID-19 cases, adding 40. Falling just behind, the 40-49-yearold demographic added 39 cases. The 10-19-year-old demographic rose the third highest, adding 32 new cases.
Adding the fewest number of cases, the 90+ demographic only added two new cases in September. The 80- 89-year-old demographic added three new cases, and the 70-79-year-old demographic added 14 new cases in September.
Cibola maintains a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, following a global phenomenon with COVIDsurges lasting an average of two months. Despite the downward trend, Cibola remains in the “Very High-Risk” category, according to data from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Cibola has 39 daily cases per 100,000 residents. To reach “High-Risk”, Cibola must attain 11.4 daily cases per 100,000 residents.
COVID-Deaths
Before the surge began, Cibola had a low rate of increasing deaths.
The first deaths from the Delta Surge came at the end of August, before September 1 Cibola had gone from a stagnant 128 deaths to 130.
On September 13 the Cibola Citizen reported an additional death, bringing the county total to 131. On Sept. 20 Cibola County increased its COVID-death count to 132. On September 27 another death was added, and the count was brought to 133. Before October could begin, the county added one more death.
By the end of September, Cibola County had a total death count of 134.
As of October 8, Cibola County had a total of 135 deaths.
Flu shot or COVID shot?
Cibola General Hospital in Grants, N.M. offers a large array of services, including inoculations of both the annual flu and COVID-19 vac cination. Having the two vaccines available at the same time has caused some confusion across the county, with people asking which of the two shots they should get. CGH says that both shots are available and now is a great time to get both.
CGH recently held a flu pod, where they vaccinated 1,060 people against the flu.
COVID-19 booster shots
Cibola General Hospital encourages all residents of Cibola County to be vaccinated. In an email to the Cibola Citizen, Tena offered advice for those seeking COVID-19 booster shots.
Moderna: “CDC recommends that the following groups should receive a booster shot of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine at least [six] months after completing their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series (i.e., the first [two] doses of a COVID-19 vaccine):
“i. People aged 65 years and older
“ii. Residents aged 18 years and older in long-term care settings
“iii. People aged 50– 64 years with underlying medical conditions”
Pfizer-BioNTech: “CDC also recommends that the following groups may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine at least [six] months after completing their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks:
“i. people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions
“ii. people aged 18–64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting. These recommendations only apply to people who previously received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series (i.e., the first [two] doses of a COVID-19 vaccine). Occupations at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission include front line essential workers and health care workers as previously detailed by the CDC [First responders; Education staff; Food and agriculture; Manufacturing workers; US Postal Service workers; Corrections staff; Public transit workers; Grocery store workers].”
Johnson & Johnson: Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has not yet received approval for a booster shot. Janssen is the “one-shot” vaccine, requiring only one dose, compared to its sister vaccines which require a minimum of two doses each.
Cibola’s vaccination progress
As of October 11, Cibola County has 72.7 percent of the population, 14,959 residents, fully vaccinated, however, the statistics on the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard are based off of an inaccurate count of Cibola County’s population. On the dashboard, Cibola’s population is considered to be 20,570; this largely undercounts Cibola’s actual population of 27,172, according to the most recent data from the United States Census Bureau.
Despite the inaccurate population, Cibola County’s vaccinations have been slow growing over the month of September. Through the whole month, 417 people became fully vaccinated and 271 people received at least one shot, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, there may be some overlapping with these numbers.
When asked if CGH en couraged residents to get vaccinated, Tena relied in an email with an all caps “YES”. Citizens can register for a COVID-19 vaccine at cvvaccine.nmhealth.org
Staying healthy
Cibola County has a high-test positivity rate, indicating that cases in the area are likely undercounted. To keep oneself and their community safe, CGH suggests getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.
Cibola County currently has 39 daily cases per 100,000 people, giving the county its “Very High-Risk” rating, to drop to “High-Risk”, Cibola must reach 11.4 cases per 100,000 residents, according to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
One in seven people in Cibola County has been infected with COVID-19, while one in 198 residents has died to the virus.
To stay safe from the virus, CGH recommends the following:
“Wash hands, clean surfaces, cough into tissue/elbow. Everyone mask up and maintain social distancing (minimum 6’). Get needed preventive healthcare. Get vaccinated!”
Cibola General Hospital is a small facility, the only fully equipped hospital in the county, and its ICU is almost constantly filled with COVID-19 patients. When asked how confident CGH is in their ability to handle the strain from COVID-19 and the flu season, Tena replied, “We are under extreme stress. Being near crisis standards of care, with the primary illness from the unvaccinated and strained depleted healthcare workforce, it’s worse than before.
“We take each day by day, managing all the pressures and providing the best care we can give to our community during COVID and the upcoming flu season.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, receiving a COVID-19 vaccination drastically reduced an individual’s risk of ending up in the hospital, keeping emergency beds open for people in accidents who need them. Register for a COVID-19 vaccine at cvvaccine.nmhealth.org
“We are under extreme stress. Being near crisis standards of care, with the primary illness from the unvaccinated and strained depleted healthcare workforce, it’s worse than before. We take each day by day, managing all the pressures and providing the best care we can give to our community during COVID and the upcoming flu season.”
– Cibola General Hospital, Cynthia Amanda Tena
Case spread in Cibola
VERY HIGH-RISK
1 in 7 of Cibola’s Citizens has been infected with COVID-19
1 in 198 of Cibola’s Citizens has died of COVID-19
Daily COVID-19 case rates sit at VERY HIGH-RISK because Cibola is averaging 38 daily cases per 100,000 residents. Cibola will downgrade to HIGH-RISK when daily average cases drop to 11.4 per 100,000. Cibola’s average daily COVID-19 transmission rate increased by 10 percent since Sept. 20.
Unvaccinated citizens are at an elevated risk in Cibola County
*Data courtesy of the John Hopkins School of Public Health, New Mexico Department of Health.