Here is a look at some local news brought to you by Silver City Radio.

At the time of compiling this report, the New Mexico Department of Health, announced a total of 70,451 New Mexico COVID-19 confirmed positive cases statewide, a record increase of 2,897 new cases. In addition, COVID-19 cases recorded locally are as follows: Grant County increased 19 new cases for a total of 348 positive cases; Luna County increased 34 new cases for a total of 1613; Hidalgo County remained at 148 total positive cases; and Catron has increased 5 new cases for a  total of 22 positive cases.

Today marks National Rural Health Day celebrating the “Power of Rural” and highlighting the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face and showcasing the efforts of rural healthcare providers. An estimated 57 million people, nearly one in five (5) Americans call rural communities their home. A special thank you goes out to all our local and state health care providers for facing the daily challenges of rural healthcare, especially during these difficult times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  “Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during 2020-2021 to protect yourself and the people around you from flu, and to help reduce the strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Many health experts warn that the addition of another respiratory illness in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic could overwhelm the health care system, stress testing capacity, and increase the risk of catching both diseases at once.

HMS is hosting free, limited contact flu vaccinations at their Drive-Thru Flu Vaccination Clinic this Saturday November 21st at the HMS main clinics in Silver City and Lordsburg. Registration is required and is open now the HMS website at HMS-nm.org. The free flu vaccinations are for persons 18 and up and registration is limited. For individuals that do not have internet access, they may register by calling HMS at 888-271-3596.

This has been a look at some local news. Thank you for listening to Silver City Radio.