SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state is woefully short of professionals devoted to contact tracing aimed at alerting people who are exposed unknowingly to the coronavirus.
The state has about 100 workers devoted to tracing exposure to the disease through interviews with people who have tested positive, when it needs at least 670 professionals.
The state last month embarked on a contact-tracing pilot program but little has been said publicly about the effort. The congressional delegation says New Mexico is in line for more than $77 million in federal funding for testing and contact tracing.
New Mexico has more than 5,500 cases, with 11 new deaths reported Thursday.