Following is an update from the New Mexico Department of Health about the Coronavirus. We are still sitting at ZERO in New Mexico. People need to understand that this new number of over 50 Coronavirus patients in the U.S. didn’t multiply from the steady 14 patients who are being treated . This spike in patients is from the U.S. citizens who were on the cruise ship being allowed back into the country, and immediately placed under medical care.
For those who are concerned about the Coronavirus, it is important to remember that the normal flu season has taken over 10,000 people this year alone. Both the Coronavirus and flu are spread in the same way. So any precautions people take against the flu will also help fight the spread of the Coronavirus.
The CDC and New Mexico Department of Health are working to contain the Coronavirus and have the means to respond to a positive patient even in Portales. This response is the result of years of consistent emergency training and preparing, and not only is created to protect a patient but also focused to protect the entire community.
M Antoinette Brezovsky
Portales Emergency Manager
mbrezovsky@portalesnm.gov
100 W 1st St
Portales NM 88130
Office (575) 359-4811
Cell (575)760-4350
Fax (575) 356-3158
Department of Health still on alert for novel coronavirus
A New Mexico Department of Health weekly advisory
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) continues to monitor and respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. While there remain no cases in New Mexico, the virus has spread to at least one country on 6 of 7 continents, excluding Antarctica, and ‘community spread’ has increased or been detected in several countries, including South Korea, Iran and Italy.
Community spread means that cases have been confirmed with no travel to China and no known contact with another case of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week published a Level 3 Travel Warning advising US citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to South Korea. This is the same warning level as China.
“We are taking all precautionary measures possible and preparing as advised by the CDC for potential community spread in the United States,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel.
The Department of Health has plans in place for how to accommodate many issues related to any spread of this virus to include in-hospital patient overflow, as well as plans for alternate sites to care for patients. NMDOH is also actively monitoring the hospital bed capacity in New Mexico and the availability of facemasks, respirators, and other personal protective equipment needed by medical personnel for infection control.
The NMDOH continues to ask all persons returning from travel to China and now South Korea to call our 24/7/365 “Epidemiology Hotline” at 505-827-0006 for guidance on how to protect yourself and your community from the novel coronavirus, even if you are not sick.
We also encourage healthcare providers to call NM DOH regarding ill returning travelers from China and South Korea. Healthcare professionals who suspect COVID-19 should immediately notify infection control personnel at their facility and contact the New Mexico Department of Health at: (505) 827-0006.
It is again important to note that there are no confirmed cases reported from New Mexico. NMDOH to date has monitored about 30 travelers returning from China, and none have developed symptoms of COVID-19.
Stay informed with the NMDOH dedicated novel coronavirus webpage that is updated in real time: https://cv.nmhealth.org/.
