New Mexico hospitals are set to reach crisis levels of care due to an overflow of patients being treated for COVID-19, according to a report by KOB 4.
On Aug. 25, New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) officials reported that hospitals across the state were currently at or near capacity, with 50 New Mexicans still on an ICU waiting list for a hospital bed.
"I think we have to meet people where they are," Dr. Laura Parajon with the New Mexico Department of Health stated. "We do have a history of mistrust, racism and trauma in our health care system. A part of it is up to us to build up trust, to reach that community, and that's part of what we're trying to do at the Department of Health – reaching out with community health workers to give them the facts they need to make that personal decision, that community decision. That's where we are looking toward our community in how we can all work together."
Health officials anticipated 1,300 to 1,500 COVID-19 cases each day by the end of August with the majority, if not all, of these cases being caused by the delta variant.
NMDOH also reports the majority of cases, hospitalizations and fatalities are still among unvaccinated individuals; however, as the state gathers more data, officials say there are increasing COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people.
Currently, state officials anticipate a 20% rise in hospitalizations throughout the state during the next two weeks.