COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico rise to 633
Dec. 1—As state health officials predicted, COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico are beginning to crest.
The state Health Department reported 633 people are in New Mexico hospitals with COVID-19. It's a statistic officials have long worried about as the state's health care system has frayed beneath the constant pressures brought by the coronavirus.
In mid-November, leaders of some of the state's largest hospitals predicted patient loads would reach as high as 700 by December. For much of November, those numbers had been between 500 and 600 patients per day.
Also on Tuesday, the state announced 12 more deaths from COVID-19, including a man in his 30s from Santa Fe County. The man victim had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions. Five people from Valencia County south of Albuquerque also died.
The state said 5,367 New Mexicans have died from the illness since the crisis began in March 2020.
In Tuesday's report, the state said 1,132 new cases have been diagnosed, including 46 in Santa Fe County. Bernalillo County led the state with 340 cases, followed by 157 in Doña Ana County and 117 in Sandoval County.
