San Juan Regional Medical Center has recently experienced an increase in COVID-19 patients that has added difficulty to outside patient transfers to the hospital, and most of those patients have not been fully vaccinated.

The Farmington Daily Times reported COVID-19 patient counts as high as 50 for the hospital. San Juan Regional Medical Center CEO Jeff Bourgeois told the Daily Times that the restriction on capacity has particularly been felt in the hospital's ICU.

"Every eligible New Mexican must do their part to fight COVID-19," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote in a tweet calling attention to the increase in cases. "The data is clear – those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are far less likely to require hospital care or face serious illness. Protect yourself. Get vaccinated: http://VaccineNM.org."

The uptick in patients at the Farmington hospital run counter to numbers seen statewide, according to The Daily Times. State health officials have reported a plateau in new cases.

While the current seven-day rolling average for positive COVID-19 tests currently sits at 17.4% — well below the December 2020 high of 26.7% — it remains the second-highest rate the hospital has experienced during the entire pandemic, The Daily Times reported.

In addition, Bourgeois said that San Juan Regional Medical Center is anticipating a surge in cases as winter sets in, motivating a call for people to get vaccinated.