COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

Los Alamos County is undergoing a surge of infections of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variants. As of June 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has measured the impact of illness in Los Alamos County as “medium,” although just barely.    

Los Alamos County officials announced that it will hold a virtual briefing regarding the community’s COVID-19 status on Thursday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. with representatives from the county, Los Alamos Public Schools, and retired epidemiologist William Athas, PhD. Members of the public can join using the following Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86100315742. After a brief presentation, meeting representatives will answer questions from the public.  

The latest county-specific data that were used by the CDC to arrive at the community level designation are discussed in the County’s COVID-19 newsletter by Athas.  He states that “the current Omicron wave may not necessarily have peaked in the county and further near-term case increases may occur,” since nearly six months have passed since the January Omicron surge, and “waning immunity in county residents vaccinated or previously infected may continue to provide a reservoir of population susceptibility for the immune-evasive BA.4/BA.5 variants.” To read this issue and to subscribe to future issues visit https://lacnm.com/subscribe. 

 Los Alamos County officials continue to encourage individuals to utilize tools to protect against COVID-19: Facemasks (N95 and KN95) and social distancing, Testing, Vaccines and boosters, and Treatments. Visit the following websites for additional information:

Los Alamos County website at https://lacnm.com/COVID for information on vaccines and testing in the community; the CDC website for suggestions to protect against COVID-19 at the various community levels; and the New Mexico Department of Health website at https://cv.nmhealth.org for additional information on vaccines/boosters, testing and treatments throughout New Mexico.