The peak of cases for the COVID-19 pandemic is only days away.  Dr. Loretta Christensen, the Chief Medical Officer for the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, told reporters on a conference call that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to peak on the Navajo Nation about May 10.

“We anticipate that we are beginning our surge, Chinle and Northern Navajo have had rapidly increasing numbers. Those were both as predicted,” Christensen said. “We anticipate the other areas, within the next week or so will also see a significant increase in cases.”

Christensen oversees five service units and eight healthcare centers within the Navajo Nation.

“We expected a full peak by around May 10...

Calculating COVID-19 data

Every day, everyone in New Mexico counted for COVID-19 is counted in the same way.  Mari Anixter,  communications director of the New Mexico Department of Health, says only positive tests are reported, and they include people on the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Pueblo.

The daily update for New Mexico consists of results from 33 counties.

“Whether someone dies in another state, or gets the virus in another state, if they are a resident of McKinley County, they will be counted in McKinley County,” Anixter said.

“The county statistics include Navajo Nation residents of the county and Zuni Pueblo residents of the county. But not all the residents of those...

Mayor Louis Bonaguidi allowed the second lockdown in Gallup to expire at noon on May 10 without asking Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for an extension.

City Manager Maryann Ustick told the Gallup Sun May 10 that the checkpoints have been packed up, but that two persons-per-car remains in place and that there will be a discussion of a mask ordinance at the city council meeting May 12.

GALLUP - Medical doctors from the Gallup-McKinley County area met virtually with Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Lee April 28 to address local concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The session, called “COVID-19: The Local Doctors’ Perspective,” was hosted on Zoom, an online conference meeting space, and broadcast on Facebook live.

Lee moderated the one-hour question-and-answer event, asking the doctors COVID-19-related questions.

The doctors in attendance were Dr. Jennie Wei from the Gallup Indian Medical Center, Dr. Valory Wangler of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services and Dr. Lawrence Andrade of Family Medicine Associates.

The public...