New Mexico is the first state to have greater than 50% of adults receiving at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Despite having inadequate hospital beds and insufficient access to critical medical care throughout the pandemic, New Mexico is leading the nation in the vaccine effort. It is the first state to have greater than 50% of adults receiving at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Over 38% of adults in New Mexico are fully immunized, more than nearly any other state in the country. The state has a long history of poor access to healthcare and stark disparity in access to care: it has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, and many residents live in rural areas, notorious for limited access to health care as well as other critical services. In addition, minority populations, who have suffered enormously from coronavirus infections, including Hispanics and Native Americans, comprise over 60% of the population of New Mexico. Part of the success of New Mexico’s vaccine rollout stems from the initial safety measures initiated by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a former state health secretary. Mask mandates and social distancing restrictions were instituted early in the pandemic, and remain in place. As vaccines became available, New Mexico instituted a centralized sign-up system with the help of the software company Real Time Solutions, based in Albuquerque.
