Vaccinations

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is leading the State of New Mexico’s COVID-19 Vaccination Preparedness Planning in close collaboration with other state agencies, public, private and tribal partners throughout the state. Keep track of vaccination progress on the COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard.

Grant County has a new vaccine website that answers frequent questions about the virus, offers vaccine registration, and provides other information as well.

Check it out here: https://www.visitsilvercity.org/vaccine-grant-county.html

DOH also announced that all New Mexicans can self-schedule their boosters without an event code. If users in these groups are asked for an event code, DOH encourages users to refresh their browser (Ctrl + F5 for most browsers).

Source: https://www.nmhealth.org/news/awareness/2021/4/?view=1440 

All New Mexicans 16+ now eligible for vaccine

The Department of Health on Monday announced that all New Mexicans 16+ are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine.

DOH will continue to prioritize vaccine invitations for Phase 1A, New Mexicans 75 years and older, and New Mexicans 60 years and older with a chronic condition. The Department has chosen to open Phase 2 – the final distribution phase – because providers in some parts of the state are no longer able to fill appointments within Phases 1A, 1B, and 1C.

DOH encourages all New Mexicans to register at vaccineNM.org. New Mexicans who have vaccine questions can visit vaccineNM.org/facts (vaccineNM.org/hechos en español).

Source: https://cv.nmhealth.org/2021/04/05/state-announces-phase-2-covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-all-new-mexicans-16-now-eligible-for-vaccine/

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) on Monday announced that New Mexicans 75 years and older who are registered at vaccineNM.org will no longer need event codes to schedule vaccine appointments.

Instead, seniors will receive invitations to schedule appointments. At that point, they will log in to vaccineNM.org using their confirmation code and date of birth and schedule an appointment at a time and location that is convenient for them. No event code will be required, but they will still need to make an appointment to receive their vaccine.

Within the state vaccine registration system – vaccineNM.org – DOH is prioritizing invitations for Phase 1A, New Mexicans 75+, and New Mexicans 60+ with chronic health conditions. As of March 28, 70.1% of New Mexicans 75 years and older have received at least a first dose, and 57% are fully vaccinated.

Senior center vaccination events: typically one in each of the four quadrants of the state, each week. A minimum of 5000 doses per week is distributed through these events. To date, more than 15,000 people have been vaccinated through these clinics.

Special efforts are being made to reach seniors (and others) who are homebound, through partnerships between DOH and local emergency management services and other service providers as well as pilot programs with ALTSD.

Two call centers devoted to registering, problem-solving, and scheduling for seniors, the disabled community, and other New Mexicans who need support. New Mexicans can dial 1-855-600-3453, press option 0 for vaccine questions, and then option 4 for tech support. Those who require additional accommodations (e.g, a ride to a vaccine event or a wheelchair upon arrival) will receive a call back from the Aging and Disability Resource Center or the UNM Office of Community Health. In addition, family members or other supportive New Mexicans can provide assistance with registration.

Efforts are underway to reach out to seniors through the state’s managed care organizations. In partnership with state agencies, MCOs will contact Medicaid- and Medicare-eligible patients and work to schedule them at vaccine clinics at their convenience.

DOH officials encourage all New Mexicans 16 years and older to register for vaccine at vaccineNM.org. New Mexicans who have vaccine questions can visit vaccineNM.org/facts.

Source: https://cv.nmhealth.org/2021/03/29/state-announces-that-new-mexicans-75-will-no-longer-need-event-codes-to-schedule-covid-19-vaccine-appointments/

People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19  two weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 2 weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J]/Janssen ).

The following recommendations apply to non-healthcare settings.

Fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Refrain from staying away from others or getting tested unless symptoms appear.
  • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.
• If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
• You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
  • You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
  • You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States.
  • You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
  • You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

• Take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
  • In public
  • Gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household
  • Visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk
• Avoid medium or large-sized gatherings
• If you travel, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 
• Watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

The NM Department of Health encourages all NM residents to register for their COVID-19 Vaccine.

New Mexico is distributing vaccines as swiftly, efficiently, and equitably as possible.  

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED at www.vaccineNM.org

If you do not have access to the internet you can call 1-855-600-3453.  

And for Grant County residents, a vaccine hotline has been set up to assist you and answer any questions. Call 575-597-7029. 

Talking with family and friends about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine can be hard. You can help by listening without judgement and identifying the root of their concerns. Things to remember to help open the discussion include:

• Listen to questions with empathy
• Ask open-ended questions to explore concerns
• Ask permission to share information
• Help them find their own reason to get vaccinated
• Help make their vaccination happen

Source: https://tinyurl.com/32z4thnh