LAS CRUCES - It may not be the most glamorous tool in the toolbox, but as part of New Mexico s efforts to track the movement of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the state Environment Department has begun sampling sewage from prisons and other congregate settings in southern New Mexico.
On Wednesday, samples were collected from the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility and the J. Paul Taylor Center, a juvenile detention facility, both located west of Las Cruces.
The New Mexico Wastewater Surveillance System aims to detect the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 disease, and allocate testing resources accordingly. Wastewater is a pretty straightforward way of sampling a population: Those who have contracted the virus shed the virus within feces and urine, Jim Murphy, associate dean for research at New Mexico State University s College of Arts and Sciences, said.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH NEWS New Mexico state health officials on Saturday announced 2,142 additional COVID-19 cases. Per the state Department of Health, the most recent cases are: 719 new cases in Bernalillo County1 new case in Catron County162 new cases in Chaves County17 new cases in Cibola County7 new cases in Colfax County40 new cases…
Taos County has had 10 new cases today, bringing the total to 1,964 positives. Taos County had no additional deaths related to COVID-19, leaving the total fatalities at 56.