Two Santa Fe bus drivers die of coronavirus, others sickened
Dec. 13—Two drivers with the city's Santa Fe Trails bus system died over the weekend while hospitalized with COVID-19, a system manager said Monday.
Thomas Martinez, operations director for the bus system, declined to name the drivers or provide more details other than both were men and had been working "quite a few years" for the service.
A third driver is hospitalized, he said.
Martinez said several other bus drivers, perhaps up to eight, tested positive for the disease but have "cycled through" and have started returning to work.
"A few of them have come back and a couple are scheduled to come back this week," he said.
"It looks like they were getting sick from home," possibly over Thanksgiving, he said. He speculated they hadn't gotten ill at work because they weren't in close quarters with one other.
City spokesman Dave Herndon issued a statement saying the city "extends profound sympathies to the families of the departed, and all those who appreciated them and feel the pain of their loss. Both gentlemen were regarded as excellent public servants who were good at their jobs."
Martinez said in the statement, "They were well-liked in the community and they were good people all around — always there to help."
In the interview, he described a bus system that has operated with fewer trips and fewer drivers for quite some time.
"At the moment, it hasn't affected us any more than usual," Martinez said of the absences. "We've been down drivers for a while." The system employs 35 to 40 drivers, he added.
According to the bus system's website, buses are cleaned and disinfected "on a regular basis." At the end of the workday, vehicles are swept, mopped and wiped down with disinfectant sprays on high-touch areas and with foam disinfectant on seats, the site says.
Martinez said there has been no discussion of halting the bus service.
"No, we have to get people where they need to go," he said.
As word of the drivers' deaths circulated, the state Department of Health announced the omicron variant of the coronavirus has officially found its way to New Mexico, where cases have continued to skyrocket in the past two months.
The state Health Department said it identified a case of the omicron variant Sunday in Bernalillo County. The woman who was afflicted reported she had traveled to a state where omicron already had been found.
Health care experts examined the woman in an emergency room, determined she was stable and discharged her to her home. The state Health Department is investigating the origins of the case.
Omicron has been identified as a variant of concern by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC describes a variant of concern as one with more transmissibility, more severe disease, reduction in effectiveness of antibodies generated from previous infection or vaccination, or other challenges.
At least 30 states have confirmed the presence of the variant, as have more than 60 countries. Omicron appears to be spreading faster than the currently dominant delta variant, the department reported.
The state Health Department reminded the public the best way to protect against the disease continues to be vaccination.
Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible for the vaccine, and those who are 16 and above are eligible for a booster shot. New Mexicans can register for vaccination appointments at vaccineNM.org. Vaccines are provided at no cost.
On Monday, the Health Department announced 40,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 have received their first COVID-19 vaccine, which it said represents more than 21 percent of the state's population within the age range. Nearly 15,000 of New Mexico's 5- to 11-year-olds have now completed their initial vaccination series.
