NH COVID-19 Update: Thanksgiving 2021
Gov. Sununu announces a December booster shot campaign and an executive order allowing hospitals to use non-traditional spaces to accommodate a surge in COVID hospitalizations.
As New Hampshire readies for a Thanksgiving holiday where twice as many people are expected to gather together to celebrate as in 2020, hospitals are under tremendous strain not only to deal with the patients they already have—but to prepare to accommodate those likely to be sickened over the holiday. Available staffed ICU beds are down to 6.3%, the lowest level of the pandemic. If there is a bright side to the squeeze on hospitals, it’s that 70% of the state’s ventilators—a last resort for cases where other treatments don’t work—are still available. Here are some of the other key COVID-related things you need to know going into the holiday.
COVID-19 cases have jumped 59 percent in New England in the past 2 weeks. While the current surge has hit every New England state hard, New Hampshire has been hit the hardest. On a case per capita basis, all New England states are now above the national average. But New Hampshire is more than twice as high — 65.0 cases per 100,000 residents — compared with the national average of 27.4 cases per 100,000. (Source: Boston Globe) Meanwhile, the seven-day daily average of new cases in New Hampshire continues to climb and now sits just under 1,000 per day. On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced numbers of both active COVID cases (7,627) and hospitalizations (350) across the state again hit record daily highs. The statewide test positivity rate stood at 9.4%, with pockets as high as 40% in some communities. (Source: NH DHHS)
With COVID-19 cases surging, some hospitals pause elective surgeries. Concerns about surging COVID-19 hospitalizations have prompted Cheshire Medical Center in Keene to join the list of hospitals postponing some elective surgeries, pleading with patients to avoid the emergency room if possible, or begging people to get vaccines and boosters. (Source: New Hampshire Bulletin) Locally, the chief physician at Exeter Hospital has said a “crisis standards of care” scenario, which offers clinicians legal and ethical guidelines to ration the delivery of healthcare to patients when hospital resources are overwhelmed – is not off the table in the coming months. (Source: Seacoast Online)
Institutional outbreaks are again on the rise. On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette announced the closing of six outbreaks at long-term care and correctional facilities and the opening nine new outbreaks. 26 institutions are currently reporting outbreaks, including the NH Men’s State Prison, the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, the Strafford County Jail, and the Edgewood Centre nursing home in Portsmouth. (Sources: InDepthNH and NH DHHS)
There are currently 23 outbreaks at New Hampshire nursing facilities and 3 at correctional facilities.
Executive order targets shortage of health care workers, hospital beds. On Tuesday, Gov. Sununu issued an executive order allowing hospitals to use non-traditional spaces to add capacity for additional patients. The order also directs boards that license health professionals to find ways to streamline licensing, increase eligibility, and implement other strategies to assist the healthcare system in the months to come. However, the action will have little short-term impact on the number of medical professionals available to treat COVID and other patients. (Source: New Hampshire Bulletin) In response to questions from reporters, Sununu said he is not considering ordering statewide masking or vaccination requirements. He also defended himself against charges that he set a poor example by being repeatedly photographed greeting schoolchildren at the State House maskless by blaming the CDC for sending “convoluted messages” when it comes to mask requirements. (Source: InDepthNH) In recent weeks, Sununu and other state leaders have been criticized for not taking the pandemic seriously by appearing maskless indoors with members of the public and treating the situation as if like everything is back to normal with legislative committees, the Executive Council and state boards and commissions all meeting in person as COVID numbers surge. (Source: InDepthNH)
Free Home Rapid-Test Kits + Booster Event On The Way. Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday that as many as a million free at-home rapid tests will be available soon to New Hampshire residents. Residents will be able to request the test kits via the state Department of Health and Human Services website and they will be delivered in partnership with Amazon. The kits [paid for with federal funds provided by the Biden administration] are expected to provide a huge boost when it comes to testing in more rural areas, such as the North Country, where testing is less accessible. The state also announced plans to host a large “Booster Blitz” event on Dec. 11, where eligible Granite Staters can get their booster shots before the Christmas holidays. State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan recommended that anyone age 18 or older get vaccinated if eligible. Chan said anyone who had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago and anyone who had the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago is eligible. (Source: WMUR) Worth noting is that anyone now eligible to receive a booster who wants one before then can schedule an appointment at vaccines.gov to get a shot at a local pharmacy or other listed provider.
Success of COVID antiviral pills hinges on access to speedy and accurate tests. The availability of rapid testing and results reporting is taking on even more importance as new treatments begin to reach the market. Within a few weeks, a game-changing new antiviral pill from Merck could begin to alter the deadly trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic — with a second option from Pfizer to follow shortly after. But experts say the success of the treatments hinge on one uncertain factor: whether high-risk patients infected with COVID will be able to get tested — and then treated — fast enough to make a difference. (Source: Kaiser Health News)
How to make holiday gatherings safer during COVID-19 times. For families with unvaccinated or medically vulnerable members, decisions about whether or not to hold a gathering boil down to how much risk you are willing to take on and whether or not you have access to tools like COVID-19 tests. Tips include: staying home if you have COVID-19 symptoms, keeping gatherings small, taking steps (like masking up and opening windows) to protect the most vulnerable people in your group, and using at-home rapid tests as close to the time of the gathering as possible. (Source: Everyday Health) Because rapid at-home tests may be hard to find this holiday season, experts say the specific brands shouldn’t worry you too much. “Any of the tests that you can find are way better than not having tests,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health in Rhode Island, told the Los Angeles Times. “Rapid tests are a measure of contagiousness, and so you want to test as close as you can of getting together with people,” Jha said. “The ideal situation would be to test on Thursday morning.” But if you plan on celebrating the holidays over several days with others, Jha suggests testing more than once. For example, right before arriving at your destination and again two days later. (Source: Miami Herald)
With COVID cases spiking, Keene councilor plans to revisit mask mandate. Keene City Councilor Randy Filiault says he plans to request a renewal of Keene’s expired mask ordinance. Filiault, who proposed the city’s original mask mandate in the spring of 2020, said an email on Tuesday from Cheshire Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Don Caruso helped convince him Keene needs another one. Keene’s mask mandate, which was in effect until July 2021, covered all indoor public spaces as well as outdoor spaces where business was being conducted. Filiault said his upcoming proposal will likely resemble the policy that was in place before it was lifted in June. (Source: Keene Sentinel)
Judge declines Florida request to block federal mandate for healthcare workers. A federal judge has denied Florida's request to block a CMS rule requiring vaccination for eligible staff at healthcare facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs, according to court documents. In an 11-page order issued Nov. 20, U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers wrote that the court found "no showing of irreparable injury" to support a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order against the federal rule. (Source: Becker’s Hospital Review)
Biden administration asks court to allow vaccine mandate. The Biden administration on Tuesday asked a federal court to let it move ahead with a workplace rule that would require employees at larger companies to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. The mandate is a centerpiece of the administration’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 as concerns grow that the nation is on the cusp of another winter surge in virus cases and hospitalizations. New Hampshire’s Attorney General is one of nearly a dozen state AGs who have sued the administration to stop the mandate. (Source: Associated Press)
COVID by the Numbers: Portsmouth, NH Nov. 23, 2021
Current Active Cases: 70 (including 21 residents at Edgewood Centre Nursing Home)
Cumulative Cases: 2,216
% of Cumulative Cases in Institutional Settings: 15.9%
Residents Fully Vaccinated: 64.4% (please note that the actual number is higher because state data does not yet include private pharmacy vaccinations)
(Source: NH DHHS)