With a 138% rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, Albuquerque hospital officials expressed concern for the ongoing surge.
KOB4 reported that the state’s Health Department tallied 148 hospitalizations over the last weekend of July, which is a staggering increase from a mere 62 a month ago.
Dr. Vesta Sandoval, the chief medical officer for Lovelace Health Systems, said the resurgence of the respiratory disease that has killed millions globally prompted LHS to “re-institute our incident command, [and] we've had to look at all of our surge planning.”
The physician said the latest surge will harm the unvaccinated the most.
"The thing we are seeing which is very clear is if you are unvaccinated, you are definitely at risk for hospitalization and severe disease," Sandoval told KOB4.
The last time New Mexico experienced low COVID hospitalizations like those in July was in September 2020.
Dr. Rohini McKee from UNM Hospital told KOB4 that healthcare workers are prepared for surges in COVID patients and are monitoring other parts of the country because younger unvaccinated patients are getting very sick.
KRQE reported that 65% of New Mexico’s adult population is now fully vaccinated, and the state is encouraging the business sector to require jabs for their respective workforces.
