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New Mexico testing nears 39,000; More advice on cleaning, handwashing

Posted

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The below information is current as of 4:15 p.m. Monday, April 20. As we know, the news regarding Coronavirus and responses is changing by the minute. We will work to update as needed.)

Daily statistics
According to the Centers of Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html, the national confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 690,714 April 19, to 746,625 April 20. There have been 35,443 deaths, up 3,640 from yesterday.
In New Mexico, confirmed cases rose from 1,845 April 19 to 1,971 April 20 (with 58 deaths) and 73 cases in Doña Ana County, with 4 new cases reported since yesterday.
In Texas, cases increased from 18,923 April 19 to 19,458 April 20, with 495 deaths. El Paso County has now confirmed 531 cases, up 26 from yesterday.
Information from Mexico is more difficult to track, but as of April 19, the state of Chihuahua has confirmed at least 131 cases and 31 deaths. Of those, Ciudad Juarez has had 121 cases, with 29 deaths. Nationwide, Mexico has reported 8,261 cases as of April 20, with 686 deaths and 2,627 recoveries.
Globally, 2,458,150 have tested positive, with 168,906 deaths and 643,918 recoveries.

Regional Statistics
NEW MEXICO (info from April 20)
38,755 people tested
1,971 positive (5.1%)
116 currently hospitalized
501 recovered
58 deaths
73 cases in Doña Ana County (out of 2,804 tests, 2.6%)
Source: NM Dept of Health (https://cv.nmhealth.org/), updated daily approx. 4 p.m.

TEXAS (info from April 20)
190,394 people tested
19,458 positive (10.2%)
1,411 currently hospitalized
5,706 recovered (estimated)
495 deaths
531 cases in El Paso County
Source: Texas Dept of Health (https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/updates.shtm#coronavirus), updated approximately 11 a.m.



Don’t quit washing those hands! And other cleaning tips….

The items below came to us from staff at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo.
•WASH YOUR HANDS (Set those fancy phones and watches to go off every 20 minutes and JUST DO IT for someone you love). The germs are spread just as much by touch as by coughing.
•Wash your face often (People touch there face many times an hour and don’t even realize it)
•Gargle and rinse your mouth with an antiseptic solution at least twice a day (mouthwash, water mixed with one of these salt, vinegar, lemon, etc). Warming these is best. The virus can replicate in the back or the oral cavity, so removing any buildup a couple times a day can reduce the amount of germs present.
•If you get a sore throat, gargle more frequently. Some sources believe that it remains in the throat or nasopharyngeal for several days before migrating to the lungs.
•Drink warm liquids. Warm fluids will liquefy oral secretions (loosening them from mucus membranes and flushing out any germs being held there) and send them to your stomach where gastric acid destroys them.
•Use a nasal rinsing method. Neti pots, a sinus flushing apparatus, or even saline nose spray. It’s the same principle as using warm liquids. Remove the germs from the mucous membranes in your nasal passages.
•Secretions from the air could land on clothing and in hair. Shower when you return home from being out.
•If you are using bleach for anything, add plenty of water, at least 10 times more water than bleach (I make mine 20:1 because the smell of the chlorine is too strong at the 10:1 ratio). There is a chemical reaction with the bleach and the hydrogen in the water. Bleach is not effective without water. Bleach must stay on a surface for several minutes to work. Any bleach mixture is NO GOOD after 24 hours, so only mix what you need.
•Think of everything that you are touching as contaminated. We hear about cleaning doorknobs, grocery cart handles, remote controls, and high touch items. But, what about gas pumps, YOUR SHOES, our glasses, earrings, badges, and of course, your cell phone. Use barriers (paper towels, tissues, gloves, etc.), but not from item to item, or not for very long. Wearing gloves for a long period, is the same as using your bare hands, you are transmitting germs from here to there when you don’t remove them or use a new barrier.
•Shoes are a pet peeve. What are you walking through? Have you noticed how we sometimes touch the soles of our shoes when we put them on? When we cough, the droplets land on the ground too. Germs can live in the cervices and the soles of our shoes the same as on a tabletop as long as they are not removed or destroyed by cleaning. Leaving them at the door may work in some households. I use a cookie sheet or shallow pan and put a small amount of cleaning solution (mixed according to manufacturer's recommendations) in the pan and sit my shoes in it for several minutes (again using the manufacture’s recommendations). Just enough liquid to get up into the crevices, but not destroy my beautiful shoes.
•It is the drier area of your hands that will hold germs (calluses, cuticles, etc.) Use the calluses of one hand to clean the cuticles of the other. Be sure to wash your thumb well and do not forget your wrist.
•Done properly hand washing will not dry out your hands. It is actually good for the skin. The soap is the culprit! When washing your hands, get them WET first, soap applied directly to the skin gets under the edge of the skin cells and causes them to become loosened (equals dry skin). Be sure to rinse your hands really well. Leaving any soap behind on them also causes the edges of the skin cell to become
•Here is a great video on hand-washing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IisgnbMfKvI.


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