ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The new state health chief said Tuesday the arrival of vaccines in New Mexico marks a turning point and she’s hopeful for a brighter day as people get vaccinated over the coming months.
Still, Health Secretary Tracie Collins said that while vaccination will prevent COVID-19 infection, there is more that needs to be learned about how effective inoculations will be in stemming transmission of the virus.
“This means that as New Mexicans begin to get vaccinated, we still need to wear masks, maintain 6-foot social distancing, wash our hands often and keep up with other COVID-safe practices,” she said during a briefing on the vaccine rollout.
Tuesday marked Collins’ second day at the helm of the state Health Department, one of the key agencies in leading New Mexico’s response to the pandemic and coordinating the delivery of vaccines to more than 30 hospitals around the state and to three Native American tribes. The first shipments arrived Monday and Collins said deliveries will continue over the coming days.
Collins, who most recently served as dean of the University of New Mexico College of Population Health, called the arrival a “most promising and uplifting moment.” She also acknowledged that the rollout will take many months and she urged people to be patient.
The first doses are going to frontline health care workers at medium to high risk of exposure as they work with COVID-19 patients. The next group will include staff and residents at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Collins said decisions are pending about which groups of people to vaccinate after that.
While vaccination is optional for health care workers, state officials have said they hope to get as many people inoculated as possible. The vaccine requires two dozes, with the second coming three weeks after the first.
As public health mandates remain in place, Collins said the state will balance vaccine distribution with the continued push for COVID-19 testing and options such as at-home testing.
New Mexico has seen its weekly rolling average of new infections decrease, but deaths remain high. The statewide death toll since the pandemic began surpassed 2,000 on Tuesday as an additional 28 deaths were reported by state health officials. More than 20% of those deaths were reported in the past two weeks alone.
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