The letter below was sent to Dr. Tracie Collins, NM Cabinet Secretary Designee for the New Mexico Department of Health. As of Feb. 12, out of 33 counties, Eddy County has the lowest percentage of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses per 100 in the state, at 8.1. According to the state’s dashboard, Chaves County is at 8.9 percent, while Lea County is at 18.3 percent.
We are not interested in finger pointing, only in improving the accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine for our residents who are interested in receiving it. We receive calls from these residents on a daily basis asking for our assistance. This concern has been recognized by local officials, by DOH representatives and by health care providers, but it is our hope that Dr. Collins will directly assist us with overcoming any roadblocks that may exist.
Dear. Secretary Collins:
According to current data, Eddy County has the lowest percentage of vaccinations in the state at 8.1 percent. Members of our community are extremely concerned about this information and been asking many questions of their elected officials. They want to know why neighboring Lea County has received nearly three times more vaccines than Eddy County.
We want to make it very clear that we have a great working relationship with both county and regional DOH employees. You have a great team down here. Furthermore, city and county officials, representatives from our two county hospitals and DOH representatives have all met recently and are working to address this issue. We are very committed to this partnership and the City will do whatever it can to help improve on the number of vaccines being administered in Carlsbad and Eddy County.
However, the fact of the matter is that Eddy County still has the lowest percentage of vaccinations in the state, and we feel that we would be neglectful if we did not look into all possibilities and reach out to you directly. We are not interested in any blame being placed anywhere – we just sincerely want to increase the number of vaccines being made available to Eddy County residents. Please let us know what we can do to help.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway