The state Department of Health reported 1,500 infections across 31 of the state's 33 counties and at two state correctional facilities.
Nearly half of the new cases were in Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties, with 418 and 311 cases respectively.
The 14 latest fatalities associated with the disease were reported in eight counties. Lost in Doña Ana County were a male in his 70s, a male resident of the Calibre Sagecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Las Cruces in his 60s and a female resident of the Adobe Assisted Living Facility in Las Cruces in her 90s.
The DOH does not disclose personally identifying information about COVID-19 patients but said all three had suffered underlying conditions which can exacerbate the impacts of COVID-19 infection,
Also among the 14 new deaths were two from Otero County, one from Eddy County, and one from Luna County.
Spread continued inside New Mexico prison facilities, with 37 new cases reported at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility located west of Las Cruces and six at the Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Grants. The 43 individuals were all in the custody of the state Corrections Department.
The state has now confirmed 59,034 cases of COVID-19 among its residents since March 11, out of 1,317,248 tests. The DOH has designated 23,981 (or 40.6 percent) of those cases has having recovered, while 1,158 have died.
The revised total of cases in Doña Ana — after corrections for cases that were duplicate reports, not lab confirmed or involving an out-of-state resident — amounts to 8,960, with 3,014 recoveries and 116 deaths.
There have been 118,856 tests completed in the county, with 11 locations and one mobile site currently offering free testing. The locations are in Anthony, Chaparral, Hatch, Las Cruces, Santa Teresa and Sunland Park.
The DOH reported 481 individuals hospitalized in the state Wednesday, but did not estimate the current capacity of the hospital network. Early in the week leaders of three hospital systems in Albuquerque warned that New Mexico hospitals are "essentially full," running low on general and ICU beds as well as personnel to attend to COVID-19 and other patients.
While the majority of those who contract COVID-19 reportedly experience mild to moderate symptoms, the illness can lead to complex and serious complications and has a case fatality rate significantly higher than influenza, although physicians have reported improvements in the treatment of patients who develop serious illness.
Because the coronavirus is highly contagious and can be spread by individuals who show no symptoms, New Mexico residents have been instructed by the health department and hospital leaders to stay home as much as possible, avoid gathering with people outside one's household or to maintain at least six feet of distance from those individuals and to wash one's hands frequently using soap.
Emergency public health orders currently in effect require wearing a mask that covers nose and mouth in public places.
Residents with symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and/or loss of taste or smell are instructed immediately to call their health care provider or the health department's COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453.
Further information is available online at the health department's web portal, http://cv.NMHealth.org.
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Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico raises ceiling on daily COVID-19 cases, reporting 1,500 Wednesday
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