COVID Cases Up In New Mexico

New Mexico health officials have confirmed an additional 659 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily case count in more than three weeks. Nearly 30% of the new cases announced Friday involved state inmates. Officials earlier this week expressed optimism about downward trends in the overall spread of the virus, with all of the state’s counties reporting positivity rates below 10%. However, they acknowledged that the seven-day rolling average of daily cases remained above targets. In all, New Mexico has reported nearly 185,000 cases since the pandemic began. The death toll stands at 3,685, with more than a dozen deaths reported Friday.