SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health reported on Thursday that more than 50% of 12-17 year-olds in the state have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 40% have completed their vaccination series. The announcement comes amid a wave of new infections connected to the Delta variant, which is 2-4 times more contagious …

SANTA FE – In light of the continued spread of COVID-19 and enhanced viral risk driven by vaccine hesitancy and resistance, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday signed an executive order requiring all state employees to either be fully vaccinated or otherwise submit to regular COVID-19 testing. Under the order, state employees who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 shall …

SANTA FE – Having met the goal of 60 percent of eligible residents completing their COVID-19 vaccination series, the state of New Mexico on Thursday will remove the remaining pandemic occupancy restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activities, including the color-coded county-by-county system. Sixty-two percent of eligible New Mexicans have completed their vaccination series as of Tuesday, according to Department of …

SANTA FE – Having met the goal of 60 percent of eligible residents completing their COVID-19 vaccination series, the state of New Mexico on Thursday will remove the remaining pandemic occupancy restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activities, including the color-coded county-by-county system. Sixty-two percent of eligible New Mexicans have completed their vaccination series as of Tuesday, according to Department of …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The University of New Mexico has helped lead a national study of hesitancy surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, which found it prevalent in its own state. The school announced Wednesday researchers with the UNM Center for Social Policy joined a coalition of groups to conduct the American COVID-19 Vaccine Poll. The poll encompassed 13,000 people from across various …

SANTA FE – The state of New Mexico confirmed the first prize winners in the Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes, a $10 million cash sweepstakes funded by federal stimulus and intended to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations. Four vaccinated New Mexicans — one from each public health region of the state — are each confirmed winners of $250,000, as drawn at random by the …

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday confirmed New Mexico will retire its color-coded, county-by-county system and all COVID-19 health restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activity in two weeks. At the Turquoise Level, the state is already broadly “open,” and counties where the virus has been sufficiently suppressed have been operating with minimal to no restrictions dating back …

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials said Friday they will use 1 million U.S. doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to inoculate people along the border. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the vaccinations along Mexico’s northern border with the United States is part of an effort to fully reopen border crossings, which are currently restricted to essential …

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico Lottery on Tuesday announced New Mexico’s Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes, a statewide vaccination incentive program that will make available $10 million in total prize money to New Mexicans who receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, among other prizes and awards throughout the summer. New …

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the updated statewide COVID-19 map, with 32 New Mexico counties at the Turquoise Level and one at the Green Level, at which there are fewer restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activities amid decreased virus risk. There are no counties at the Yellow or Red Levels as of May …