3.6 percent rise in COVID-19 cases

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CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Cibola County is seeing cases of the COVID-19 rise again. On Sept. 21 Cibola County reported 406 total positive cases, on Sept. 28, one week later, Cibola reported 422 total positive cases, a 3.6 percent rise in cases. Also rising is the death count, Cibola lost another resident to the disease this past week bringing the total deaths from COVID-19 to 21, a five percent increase.

The Cibola County emergency management office acknowledged the rise in cases, with Emergency Manager Dustin Middleton attributing the increase to people failing to adhere to social distancing and not wearing masks.

“It’s hard to control people when they go out,” Emergency Manager Middleton said, “the masks limit your exposure to the virus.”

Where is Cibola County today?

As of press time the most updated statistics were from Monday, Sept. 28.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Cibola County continues to climb. The emergency management office has said in the past that to find the total number of active COVID-19 cases the recoveries must be subtracted.

The county currently has 422 total cases, with 245 recoveries. This means that there are currently 177 active cases in Cibola.

The State of New Mexico tracks COVID-19 in terms of case positivity and on a per capita rate based on 100,000 people in a county, whether there are that many citizens in a county or not.

Cibola County, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, is under an average of eight new cases a day with a positivity rate of 0.5 percent. Per 100,000 people, there are 1.3 infected people.

In contrast, Catron County has a test positivity rate of 6.6 percent and per 100,000 people there are 12.2 infected people.

Cibola sits with the majority of New Mexico in the turquoise color, which symbolizes a good COVID-19 response. Only Quay County sits in a yellow bracket where the COVID-19 response could be better. Catron joins five other counties in the red bracket which symbolizes a poor COVID-19 response and a need to do better, according to the NMDOH.

Cibola County still sees a gender disparity, with 55.06 percent of the total cases being in women, versus 44.94 for men.

The age gap which had been dominated by the 20- 29 age group had been closed as cases of infected people in all age groups started rising. Once again there is a wide age gap in infected people, with the 20-29 age group being the most infected in the county, with nearly ten more infections – 76 – than the second most affected age group, 30-39 which has 67 total infections.

Emergency Manager Middleton urged citizens to wear their masks and to social distance when possible to slow the spread of the disease.

COVID-19 or the flu?

As Cibola County heads into the winter season, Middleton warned residents to get a flu shot to prevent getting sick.

NMDOH officials fear that the two viruses together will create havoc across the state, as both viruses have similar symptoms. Emergency Manager Middleton said that if a citizen starts exhibiting symptoms of either the flu or COVID-19 they should get tested for COVID-19 to prevent spreading the disease.

During the flu season it is important for residents to wear their masks, N.M. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Dr. David Scrase said, saying that this flu season could be the best flu season New Mexico has seen in decades due to citizens wearing masks and staying socially distant.

Middleton said that as people move indoors due to the colder weather, citizens will be more susceptible to catching COVID-19, and says that the best way to avoid getting sick altogether is to practice basic hygiene – constant hand washing, and not touching the face.

One sure way to avoid the flu, Middleton said, is to get vaccinated against it.

Middleton said that mask wearing, and social distancing are important to keeping COVID-19 from spreading until there is a vaccination.