COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

Los Alamos County officials will hold a virtual briefing regarding the community’s COVID-19 status on Thursday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. with representatives from the county, Los Alamos Public Schools, Los Alamos Senior Center, Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, Los Alamos County Social Services, and retired epidemiologist William Athas, PhD. Members of the public can join using the following Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89699155842. After a brief presentation, meeting representatives will answer questions from the public.  

As of July 15, Los Alamos County’s COVID-19 community level designation by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is Medium, even as the average number of reported cases remains high. The latest county-specific data are discussed by Athas in the County’s COVID-19 newsletter.

Athas writes that of the 800 PCR-confirmed cases reported among county residents from June 1 through July 13, it is “maximally estimated that roughly 50% of these cases involve BA.5 based on CDC nationwide variant prevalence data.” The BA.5 Omicron variant is highly immune-evasive, so much so that “neither vaccination nor past infection with a prior variant provides much protection against [it].” He advises “individual and group mitigation efforts that include masking and social distancing” as well as “up-to-date vaccination” to curb high community transmission. To read this issue and to subscribe to future issues, visit https://lacnm.com/subscribe.  

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.