State epidemiologist departs as New Mexico reopens economy

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's lead specialist for tracking and combating infectious disease is leaving the state Health Department amid the coronavirus pandemic to take a job with the Virginia Department of Health.

Michael Landen retired as state epidemiologist to pursue work closer to relatives in Virginia, where his parents live, said Health Department spokesman David Morgan on Monday.

Landen was appointed in 2012 under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and was a leading figure in the state's response to the opioid epidemic before COVID-19 arrived in March.

A nationwide search for a successor was planned.

Landen made only occasional public appearances during the COVID-19 outbreak, as Deputy Epidemiologist Chad Smelser accompanied Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at news conferences in the early stages of the pandemic. Smelser continues to play a leadership role in efforts to track and respond to the virus.

New Mexico aggressively pursued public health restrictions at the outset of the epidemic and this month allowed dine-in restaurants, shopping malls, gyms and hair salons to reopen at limited capacity.

A spike in statewide infections over the past week tied to an outbreak at prison facilities in Otero County has changed the outlook for New Mexico and efforts to safely reopen the economy.

New Mexico received an overall “trending poorly” grade Monday on a website frequently cited by state health officials that tracks progress on infection rates, capacity for testing, available hospital capacity and more against White House criteria.