SANTA FE – A top state health official warned Wednesday that COVID-19 infections are far more prevalent in low-income areas of the New Mexico, potentially straining Medicaid health care.

Human Services Secretary David Scrase said that an analysis of infection rates by census tract shows that highly impoverished areas have infection rates seven times higher than the most affluent zones.

“This means Medicaid is going to see way more than its proportionate share of cases in the course of the pandemic,” he said.

About 38% of New Mexico residents are enrolled in federally subsidized Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for people living in poverty or on the cusp.

Scrase and Children Youth and Families Secretary Brian Blalock gave a briefing Wednesday about public health trends and the state’s coronavirus response.

Health officials are concerned that socializing over the Labor Day holiday weekend could lead to renewed surges in COVID-19 infections – citing the aftermath of Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays.

The state recently relaxed its stay-at-home order to allow public gatherings of 10 people. But masks are a must in public, overnight camping remains off limits at state parks and most interstate travelers are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. A small share of the state’s elementary school students return next week to classrooms on a part-time, rotating basis.

Health officials announced 154 newly confirmed infections statewide on Wednesday, led by Doña Ana County in southern New Mexico with 33, and three related deaths.

New Mexico is among 10 states with the lowest positivity rate in virus testing.

Cases have surpassed 25,400 in a state of 2.1 million people, with 790 deaths and 71 current hospitalizations.

Scrase urged people to reschedule medical appointments and diagnostic tests that were suspended at the outset of the virus outbreak, citing a decrease in the number of colonoscopies as a proxy for crucial, deferred procedures.

The procedure is used to search for colon cancer, a disease that claimed the life of actor and “Black Panther” movie star Chadwick Boseman in August at age 43.

Monthly colonoscopies statewide declined from about 1,400 to fewer than 200 in April. The number of tests rebounded to more than 1,000 in August.

State health authorities also are urging people to get flu vaccines as early as possible to clear the way for the distribution of coronavirus vaccine shots, starting as soon as November and on a larger scale next year. They said most COVID-19 vaccine types slated for approval will require two shots, spaced several weeks apart.

Blalock said online grocery shopping is catching on among recipients of food stamps in New Mexico.

It’s a new option aimed at reducing potential exposure to COVID-19 among people getting food purchasing assistance from the supplemental nutrition assistance program. More than $1 million in monthly benefits are being spent online.

Scrase said the medical community has run into pleasant surprises in recent months, finding that telemedicine medical appointments by phone are more effective than anticipated and that front-line medical workers in New Mexico helped unlock the potential of the anti-viral drug remdesivir by administering it prior to the onset of severe virus symptoms.

On a more dire note, Blalock said New Mexico is in a vulnerable position when it comes to mental health and drug dependency problems associated with the pandemic, noting it had the highest suicide rate in the nation in 2018.

“There is a behavior health crisis,” he said. “But in a lot of ways New Mexico has been in a behavioral health crisis for years.”