New Mexico reports 4 new deaths, 1,281 additional COVID-19 cases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reported four additional COVID-19-related deaths Thursday.

The latest deaths include:

Three recent deaths:

• A male in his 70s from Eddy County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 80s from Eddy County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
• A male in his 60s from McKinley County. The individual was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

One* death >30 days:

• A male in his 70s from Doña Ana County. The individual was hospitalized.

The number of deaths of New Mexico residents related to COVID-19 is now 4,441.

In addition to the deaths, the state reported 1,281 additional COVID-19 cases. As of Thursday, New Mexico has reported a total of 217,773 cases.

The latest cases include:

• 136 new cases in Bernalillo County
• 94 new cases in Chaves County
• 5 new cases in Cibola County
• 2 new cases in Colfax County
• 21 new cases in Curry County
• 85 new cases in Doña Ana County
• 81 new cases in Eddy County
• 7 new cases in Grant County
• 2 new cases in Guadalupe County
• 3 new cases in Hidalgo County
• 612 new cases in Lea County
• 26 new cases in Lincoln County
• 5 new cases in Los Alamos County
• 2 new cases in Luna County
• 28 new cases in McKinley County
• 2 new cases in Mora County
• 21 new cases in Otero County
• 3 new cases in Quay County
• 5 new cases in Rio Arriba County
• 1 new case in Roosevelt County
• 32 new cases in Sandoval County
• 24 new cases in San Juan County
• 14 new cases in San Miguel County
• 33 new cases in Santa Fe County
• 3 new cases in Sierra County
• 2 new cases in Socorro County
• 4 new cases in Taos County
• 5 new cases in Torrance County
• 22 new cases in Valencia County
• 1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Federal Prison Facility

State officials said out of the 612 cases reported Thursday in Lea County, 331 are considered "historical," meaning more than two weeks have passed since the specimen was collected, and those cases should not be considered as reflecting the current levels of community transmission.

"Those late-arriving cases are the result of one late-reporting facility and date back over the course of at least 6 months," a news release stated. "Out of the 612 cases reported today, 281 are within 14 days of the date of specimen collection and are considered recent (acute) cases."

State officials said the facility, Nor-Lea Hospital, alerted the health department when they discovered the error.

To see the number of positive cases in each county or by zip code, click here.

The state reported that 293 individuals are currently being hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19.

As of Thursday, there are 198,143 COVID-19 cases designated as having recovered by the NMDOH