N.H. Daily Coronavirus Update—February 2021

Sunday, February 28

As new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have trended downwards; so has the number of people getting tested. (Data: N.H. DHHS)

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced three additional deaths and 287 new cases on Saturday. Active infections statewide decreased to 2,672 and current hospitalizations dropped by five patients to 93. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Sunday.

1. FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine From J&J. The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two. Health experts are anxiously awaiting a one-and-done option to help speed vaccinations, as they race against a virus that already has killed more than 510,000 people in the U.S. and is mutating in increasingly worrisome ways. The FDA said J&J’s vaccine offers strong protection against what matters most: serious illness, hospitalizations and death. One dose was 85% protective against the most severe COVID-19 illness, in a massive study that spanned three continents — protection that remained strong even in countries such as South Africa, where the variants of most concern are spreading. (Source: NECN)

2. Plunging Demand for COVID-19 Tests May Leave US Exposed. Just five weeks ago, Los Angeles County was conducting more than 350,000 weekly coronavirus tests, including at a massive drive-thru site at Dodger Stadium, as health workers raced to contain the worst COVID-19 hotspot in the U.S. Now, county officials say testing has nearly collapsed. More than 180 government-supported sites are operating at only a third of their capacity. “It’s shocking how quickly we’ve gone from moving at 100 miles an hour to about 25,” said Dr. Clemens Hong, who leads the county’s testing operation. After a year of struggling to boost testing, communities across the country are seeing plummeting demand, shuttering testing sites or even trying to return supplies. The drop in screening comes at a significant moment in the outbreak: Experts are cautiously optimistic that COVID-19 is receding after killing more than 500,000 people in the U.S. but concerned that emerging variants could prolong the epidemic.(Source: Associated Press) In New Hampshire, the fall-off hasn’t been as dramatic. According to the N.H. COVID-19 Interactive Analytics Dashboard, the state record for tests conducted in a single day—13,391—was set less than a month ago on February 4. However, testing totals since mid-January also reflect an outsized number of college students who are required to get tested to stay on campus. Most New Hampshire colleges are requiring students to be tested once a week, while students attending the Durham campus of UNH are required to be tested twice a week. The seven-day New Hampshire average for PCR and antigen tests peaked at 10,572 on January 30 but was sitting at 8,179 at of February 26. The decline in testing comes despite none of the state’s colleges relaxing their testing requirements In February. This means the biggest fall-off in testing is occurring in New Hampshire’s non-college population. With new cases and the test positivity rate both in decline, it follows that the number of people being tested will also dip as fewer people become infected. But the numbers may also be reflecting a combination of pandemic fatigue and complacency as fewer people who may have been exposed to someone with the virus are motivated to get tested. Health officials are urging states to double down on testing to avoid flare-ups as well as to continue to reduce deaths, hospitalizations and new cases. Also worrisome to some officials is that while all three key metrics have dramatically declined since January highs, they are stabilizing at levels that would have been considered to be extremely high as recently as late October and early November. (Data: N.H. DHHS Dashboard)

3. COVID Cases Surge at Dartmouth College. With 100 students now positive for COVID-19, Dartmouth College has transitioned back to quarantine and closed indoor gathering spaces. Dartmouth’s COVID-19 cases now comprise roughly 4% of total active cases in the state of New Hampshire. “Given this rapid and significantly increased risk of transmission within our community, we have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to return to arrival quarantine phase two, effective immediately and until further notice,” Dean of the College Kathryn Lively wrote in a Saturday email to students living on campus. (Source: The Dartmouth) Meanwhile, the UNH COVID-19 Testing Dashboard is reporting 236 active cases as of Thursday, but the number of newly diagnosed cases is trending downward. (Source: UNH)

4. Here's Who Qualifies for a $1,400 Stimulus Payment Under the American Rescue Plan. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed early Saturday morning includes a provision for a third stimulus check worth up to $1,400 for taxpayers and each of their dependents. Individuals earning an adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $75,000 (and married couples earning up to $150,000) will receive $1,400 each, plus $1,400 for each dependent. That means an eligible family of four will receive $5,600. After those income thresholds, the payments phase out. Individuals earning an AGI over $100,000 per year and couples earning over $200,000 will not receive a check. Unlike the previous two payments, adult dependents qualify for this round. A previous report from the American Enterprise Institute estimates that as many as 26 million more people — mainly college students, disabled adults and elderly Americans — will now be eligible for a payment. If passed in the Senate, the checks could arrive as soon as next month. (Source: NECN) Locally, N.H. State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley criticized Gov. Chrus Sununu for his opposition to the plan. “Voters will remember that while our federal delegation worked tirelessly to get Granite Staters the relief they need, Sununu and the Republican Party did whatever they could to block necessary funding for New Hampshire during a global pandemic,” Buckley said. (Source: InDepthNH)

5. Heating Oil, Gas Prices Rise in the Toughest of Times for Many Upper Valley Residents. In New Hampshire, as of last week, the cost of residential propane has risen 14.2% to $3.29 per gallon from the same time last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Vermont, propane is up 15.8% to $3.23 per gallon over the same period. Although the weather has been relatively mild in New England this winter, that hasn’t been the case at the heart of the propane industry: Texas, where much of the propane shipped to New England via pipeline and rail originates. The price of propane was given a jolt earlier this month when an arctic blast plunged Texas into a record deep freeze, taking 19% of the country’s oil refining capacity offline and knocking out 7% of the country’s natural gas production. The freak weather event roiled the energy markets, pushing residential propane prices in the Twin States up 44 cents per gallon from this time last year. “The pandemic already had us in a hole, and then this cold front was a double whammy,” said Casey Cota, president of Cota & Cota, a Bellow Falls, Vt.-based heating fuel distributor with a service office in White River Junction. “Prices are closing in on where they were two years ago.” (Source: The Valley News)

6. Portsmouth High Students to Help Beautify Outdoor Dining Barriers. Portsmouth High School students are slated to play a role in beautifying the concrete barriers that will keep people safe during outdoor dining this year. Mark Stebbins, the co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee to Reopen Portsmouth 2021, said the committee reached out to the high school about having students help the city “do a better job of beautifying our beautiful concrete barriers.” Committee members “are still in discussion with the high school about designing and painting the barriers, and designing and possibly building planters for the tops of the barriers,” Stebbins told the City Council earlier this week. The council earlier this year voted unanimously to waive the fees restaurants typically have to pay for outdoor seating licenses. Stebbins said the committee’s goal “is to have everything ready so at the very, very latest April 1 is the time we get the barriers on the streets.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

7. School Theater Programs in NH Adjust During Pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has forced school theater programs to get creative so students can continue to perform. At Sanborn Regional High School, the drama troupe is about to try its first livestreamed performance. The troupe will perform “Bright Star” concert version. There will be no audience in person for the 80-minute show, but the cast will be on stage together for the first time in a year. “When you see their show, they're all on stage and they're over 6 feet apart in their chairs when they're not the focus of a scene,” said Bridgette Doucette-Howell, the school’s theater director. (Source: WMUR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 27, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Saturday, February 27

New Hampshire is now in the top 15 states when it comes to the percentage of population that have received at least one dose. (Source: New York Times Vaccination Tracker).

The state announced four more COVID-19 deaths Friday night along with 337 new cases. The number of current active infections statewide is 2,827 and hospitalizations for COVID-19 are at 95. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Saturday.

1. U.S. House Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package. The House of Representatives voted early Saturday morning to approve President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package, a major step toward enacting the first legislative priority of the new administration as the devastating fallout from the spread of Covid-19 has left Americans in dire need of further relief. The final vote tally was 219-212. Now that the bill has passed the House it will next go to the Senate. Making the effort more complicated, the Senate is expected to strip out a provision in the legislation increasing the federal minimum wage after the Senate parliamentarian ruled against including it under the procedure known as reconciliation, which Senate Democrats are using to pass the bill with a simple majority vote. The bill would then have to go back to the House for a separate vote before it could go to Biden to be signed into law. The House bill would provide direct payments worth up to $1,400 per person to families earning less than $200,000 a year and individuals earning less than $100,000 a year. Out-of-work Americans would get a federal weekly boost of $400 through August 29 and food stamp recipients would see a 15% increase in benefits continue through September, instead of having it expire at the end of June. The legislation would also send roughly $19.1 billion to state and local governments to help low-income households cover back rent, rent assistance and utility bills. Business relief is also included. The bill would provide $15 billion to the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan program, which provides long-term, low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration. It also provides $25 billion for a new grant program specifically for bars and restaurants. (Source: CNN) The legislation would also send $350 billion to state and local governments and tribal governments. (Source: NECN)

2. Sununu Opposes COVID Relief Bill. Gov. Chris Sununu is one of 22 GOP governors who has signed on to a statement opposing the way the stimulus package allocates federal funds to the states. “Unlike all previous federal funding packages, the new stimulus proposal allocates aid based on a state’s unemployed population rather than its actual population, which punishes states that took a measured approach to the pandemic and entered the crisis with healthy state budgets and strong economies.” The statement lists New Hampshire as one of 33 states that would receive less funding under the new formula. (Source: InDepthNH) Earlier in the week, Gov. Sununu told the press that he would vote “no” on the package if he were a member of Congress saying it’s too expensive and the formula rewards bad behavior among states. (Source: InDepthNH)

3. City, Town Officials Look to COVID-19 Relief Funds to Avoid Budget Cuts, Property Tax Hikes. As Congress moves forward with a massive COVID-19 relief package, city and town officials in New Hampshire are hopeful some of that money might help them avoid layoffs to essential services such as police and fire. In Nashua, COVID-19 cases continue to follow statewide and national downward trends. There are about 180 active cases in the Gate City. Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said the proposed state budget would downshift pension and education costs, requiring local property tax increases. But the $1.9 trillion relief package moving through Congress holds the promise of billions in direct aid to America's cities and towns, along with hope the money can ward off some of the worst possible cuts and potentially provide some stimulus to the local economy. "We would try to use it to avoid layoffs of our essential workers -- fire, police, teachers," Donchess said. "So that's where I think we would use it in terms of first priority." Keene Mayor George Hansel said his city could also use a boost when it comes to infrastructure support. (Source: WMUR)

4. Vaccinations Progress In NH, But There Is Still a Long Way To Go. The latest vaccination numbers released on Friday show the pace of vaccinations beginning to accelerate in New Hampshire. The percentage of people receiving their first dose is now up to 15.9% of state residents with 7% of the population now fully vaccinated. Of the 369,390 doses the state has received, 284,430–or 77%—have found their way into arms which puts the state in the middle of the pack among states when it comes to vaccination efficiency. However, recently other states have also been using a higher percentage of available vaccine and New Hampshire’s number represents a 10% increase over the previous reporting period—a strong indication of positive progress. (Sources: N.H. DHHS and New York Times Vaccination Tracker)

5. NH Prepares for Johnson & Johnson Vaccine to Join Rollout Efforts. A vaccine advisory committee for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccination Friday. With final authorization from the FDA expected to come over the weekend, the vaccines will be distributed to New Hampshire as early as next week. Johnson & Johnson says trials show their vaccine is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe cases, 85% effective against severe disease and 100% effective in protecting against hospitalizations and deaths. Gov. Chris Sununu said Granite Staters will have no say in which vaccine they receive. (Source: WMUR)

6. Manchester Sees Improving COVID-19 Numbers. Officials with the Manchester Health Department said the number of new cases seems to have stabilized, and hospitalization numbers look better. Health Director Anna Thomas said the improving numbers are a testimony to the strength of the community and its ability to follow the science. "We're cautiously optimistic that we're in a good place, but our work is not done yet," Thomas said. Over the past year, the state’s largest city has dealt with nearly 10,000 cases of the virus. Despite a spike of 41 new cases on Friday, the health department said the numbers seem to be stabilizing. "Those numbers are going to vary day by day," Thomas said. "That's why we look at trends over time and really manage the data in three-day averages." (Source: WMUR) The state reported 275 active cases in Manchester on Friday. (Source: NH DHHS) You can see a list of active COVID numbers for all New Hampshire communities here.

7. N.H. Resumes Universal Contact Tracing For New COVID-19 Cases But Not Universal Case Monitoring. After scaling back contact tracing efforts last November amid surging cases, New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services says it has resumed investigating all new COVID-19 infections. “We resumed contact tracing all cases on Feb. 2,” DHHS Communications Director Jake Leon wrote in an email. “Cases are still prioritized as before, so cases from high-risk groups take priority, but we are once again reaching out to everyone.” While the state resumes a more comprehensive contact tracing program, it is not yet conducting universal case monitoring: That involves daily phone calls for people in isolation and calls every other day for people in quarantine. Health officials say the case load remains too high right now to keep up with universal monitoring at this time. (Source: NHPR)

8. Vermont Eases Restrictions on Residents of NH Border Towns. There’s good news for Upper Valley residents who live near the Connecticut River. Vermont this week relaxed its COVID-19 travel restrictions slightly so that residents of border towns can travel across the river — in a limited zone — without quarantining. “Those living in Vermont may travel 5 miles into adjacent states without quarantining upon return to Vermont. Those living in adjacent states within 5 miles of the Vermont border may travel 5 miles into Vermont without quarantining,” the Agency of Commerce and Community Development announced on its website on Thursday. Still forbidden is cross-state travel for social gatherings, dining at a restaurant or bar, or going to an indoor venue for entertainment, such as a movie theater or bowling alley. (Source: The Valley News)

9. In Nashua, Ensuring Equitable Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine Is A Team Effort. Inside one of Nashua’s community COVID-19 vaccine clinics, before patients arrive, nurses, public health workers and first responders are suiting up in scrubs and protective masks, sorting through paperwork and assembling supplies to administer the shots. This is all part of a statewide effort to get more COVID-19 shots into the arms of people who are at heightened risk for the coronavirus or might have trouble accessing the vaccine through the state’s standard registration process. New Hampshire has set aside 10 percent of its vaccine supply for this “equity allocation,” which is being distributed through community-based clinics run by regional public health networks. For the most part, Nashua’s public health team said they’ve not seen as much vaccine hesitancy as they anticipated, as evidenced by the strong turnout at their clinics so far. This week, more than 200 people registered for Friday’s clinic, and staff expected as many as 50 to 100 more to show up at the door. Last week, they vaccinated a little over 200 people — almost double what they did the week before. Lisa Vasquez, who’s been involved in many of Nashua’s public health outreach efforts around COVID-19, said it’s important for the general public to understand that these equity clinics are meant to supplement — not replace — other state-run vaccine efforts. Those working the vaccine clinics say they're encouraged by the success of outreach efforts so far, as evidenced by strong turnout during the first few weeks. Members of other populations that might see this as people like cutting through the line and things like that, that’s not what's happening — these are parallel clinics,” she said. “Many of the people that come to this clinic are still over 65, are still having those pre-existing conditions, they just have other barriers.” (Source: NHPR) Worth noting is that while New Hampshire has allocated 10% of vaccine in Phase 1b to communities and groups disproportionately affected by the virus, the state is currently not providing any metrics showing how many people in these groups and communities have received their first and second dose.

10. COVID-19 Vaccine House Calls: Exeter Fire Dept. Launches Mobile Clinics. Assistant Fire Chief Justin Pizon said he can begin to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” as he and his fellow firefighters and EMTs prepare to launch mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics for eligible residents. Starting March 4, members of the Fire Department tapped by the Seacoast Public Health Network will begin vaccinating residents and staff at the Exeter Housing Authority. He said over the next several weeks, firefighters will fan out to 10 communities for people age 55-plus. Pizon said firefighters will also make several individual house calls over the next several weeks to reach elderly residents who are unable to leave their home to go to the National Guard’s vaccination site in the Exeter High School football stadium parking lot. (Source: Seacoast Online)

11. Summer Fun Businesses Look To Their Future in Pandemic. Gov. Chris Sununu told the public Thursday to expect him to begin to relax some restrictions for businesses in the coming weeks following advice and input from health officials who are looking particularly at hospitalization rates, death rates and new case rates as the primary metrics. All of those statistics are now going down. On Friday, Charyl Reardon, representing the New Hampshire attractions industry and president of White Mountain Attractions, told the Governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force that some businesses are suffering from last summer’s occupancy levels and the loss of not only income but employees due to the pandemic. She said the industry is hoping for capacity restrictions to be lifted, noting about 30 percent of a loss of jobs last year for people working at those attractions. But she said given the health crisis, the limitations on the industry were totally understandable. Mike Somers, executive director of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, said there are a lot of “pressing issues” for the industry as it looks to summer and the phones at his office are ringing off the hook with questions. (Source: InDepthNH)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 26, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Friday, February 26

Hospitalizations in New Hampshire fall under 100 for the first time in three months. (Sources: NHPR and N.H. DHHS)

Hospitalizations drop under 100 for the first time in three months as outbreaks in New Hampshire nursing homes and jails fall to seven—the lowest level since late October. Here in the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Friday.

1. N.H. Reports 6 More Deaths; Hospitalizations Drop Under 100. State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan announced six additional COVID-19 deaths today, while also signaling promising trends with new cases and hospitalizations in New Hampshire. Chan said that only one of the six fatalities was associated with a long-term care facility. New Hampshire has had 1,157 deaths due to the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and the majority of those deaths were at nursing homes and congregate care settings. The state also reported 97 current hospitalizations, which Chan says is the lowest in three months. There were 355 new cases and 2,858 active infections statewide, as of Thursday. New Hampshire is averaging 300 to 350 cases a day over the past week. (Source: NHPR)

2. Outbreaks at NH Nursing Homes and Jails Fall to Seven. Lori Shibinette, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said things continue to improve at long-term care facilities with only seven active outbreaks. The state this week closed five outbreaks. Shibinette said now that second rounds of vaccines have been administered it is time to revisit the issue of visitation at these facilities which have been walled off to friends and family during much of the pandemic, and that has had an emotional toll on the residents. “Now that we are well into vaccinations, public health and our licensing and certification bureau will be releasing guidance next week that will require for any non-outbreak facilities and have completed two doses plus 14 days, compassionate care visits,” she said. “This is something we have been waiting to do for a very long time.” (Source: InDepthNH) With COVID-19 vaccination clinics for second doses nearly complete at long-term care facilities, Shibinette also said the state plans to release new guidance in the coming weeks to standardize in-person visits from family and loved ones. (Source: NHPR)

3. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Could Arrive in NH as Early as Next Week. As the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses coming into New Hampshire increases, the state could start receiving a third vaccine as early as next week, health officials said. Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, said Thursday that 15% of New Hampshire's population has had at least one dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, and 7% have been fully vaccinated. She said the state could begin receiving the new single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine as early as next week. The vaccine is waiting for final approval from federal regulators, who will also provide guidance on how it should be administered. State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan noted that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not quite as effective at preventing illness as the other two vaccines, but it's highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death. (Source: WMUR) Chan’s statement was echoed on Thursday by Dr. Paul Goepfert, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic. “The most important part of this vaccine or any of the COVID vaccines is the protection against hospitalizations and severe disease and dying," Goepfert said. "If we could prevent people completely from dying or getting hospitalized with Covid, we don't have a problem anymore." (Source: CNN) Meanwhile, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will hold an all-day meeting meeting today to review the data on the J & J vaccine and is likely to give it a thumbs-up, leading to an expected FDA authorization for the shot in adults within the next few days. (Source: USA Today)

4. Advocates for Disabled Call on State to Streamline Vaccination Process. People who advocate for those with disabilities said navigating the vaccination process has been difficult for that population and their caregivers. "With all of the inconsistencies on who qualifies and who's eligible, how to get that eligibility, what proof do you need -- families are getting different messages," said Lisa Beaudoin, executive director of the group ABLE-New Hampshire. Beaudoin said it's understandable there will be gaps in the technical guidance on defining categories in the vaccine rollout, but she said the registration process is confusing. Officials said there are other obstacles for the disabled, such as computer barriers and an inability to drive. State officials said they will work with anyone who has concerns about the registration process. "We definitely appreciate the frustration of not just those populations but any population in New Hampshire that has maybe had trouble scheduling, but we are happy to work with these people," Gov. Chris Sununu said. (Source: WMUR)

5. N.H. Launches New Effort to Help Homebound Residents Get Vaccinated. Starting next week, New Hampshire will begin a large-scale effort to get more vaccines to people who are unable to get to fixed vaccine clinics — either because they lack transportation or have other medical conditions that prevent them from leaving home. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said the state has been working to vaccinate homebound residents through a pilot program but will expand those efforts statewide with help from home care agencies, public health networks. emergency responders and other partners across the state. The state has already started identifying individuals who may need extra help getting a COVID-19 vaccine through its Choices For Independence Program, which provides home- and community-based care, and will build on this list using the referrals gathered from home health agencies. Once the agencies identify clients who might benefit from extra support, Shibinette said they will help by arranging either transportation to vaccine clinics or home visits to deliver the shots. Some other states have been making similar pushes to ensure this population isn’t left behind. Vermont, for example, has been relying on visiting nurse associations and emergency responders to help bring the vaccine to homebound residents. (Source: NHPR)

6. 14 More Test Positive at Keene State. Fourteen people at Keene State College tested positive for COVID-19 last week, the college reported Wednesday. The new cases — 12 of whom are students, in addition to two employees — were detected between Feb. 15 and 21, according to Keene State’s online coronavirus dashboard, which is updated weekly. The college tested more than 3,300 students and staff last week, according to the dashboard. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

7. New Labor Department Rules Qualify More for Unemployment Benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor made changes Thursday that will qualify more people for an unemployment benefits program, including those who are still working but have had their hours cut and people who have refused to go into workplaces that flout COVID-19 safety practices. The changes come after a letter last week from New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, along with three other Democratic senators, asking the acting Labor Secretary to reverse rules made in the final days of the Trump administration that kept some workers from getting benefits from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The senators said the rules were at odds with the intent of the legislation that created the program. (Source: Union Leader)

8. NH Begins Emergency Rent Assistance for People Hurting in COVID Pandemic. A new federally funded program in New Hampshire will provide assistance to eligible residents of the state who cannot pay their rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Chris Sununu announced the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program on Thursday. The program will be administered by New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA), in collaboration with the Governor’s Office for Economic Relief and Recovery (GOFERR). NHHFA will work with the five regional Community Action Partnerships (CAPs) that will accept and process applications and payments for the program. NHERAP funds can cover current and past due rent, as well as utility and home energy costs for eligible households. This assistance is available retroactive to April 1, 2020 through the date of application, and the applicant may also receive assistance for these same expenses going forward. Households may receive assistance for a total of 12 months. (Source: InDepthNH)

9. N.H. Falls Behind Most of New England But 'Right in the Middle' of the U.S. On Vaccine Progress. Earlier this year, state leaders were eager to tout New Hampshire’s progress getting COVID-19 shots into the arms of its residents. In mid January, New Hampshire had used about 46 percent of its available vaccine supply, putting it ahead of most states, according to archived data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, however, the state has fallen closer to the national median in vaccine administration, and now trails many neighboring states. As of Feb. 24, New Hampshire has used just under 74 percent of its vaccine supply. That puts it, narrowly, in the bottom half of states, where the median is a little over 76 percent. “New Hampshire is right in the middle of the country on our progress,” Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the state’s Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, told NHPR this week. “We’re average.” Using another metric — the percent of residents who have received at least one shot — New Hampshire fares better. In most states, somewhere between 13 and 15 percent of residents have received at least one shot; in New Hampshire, that number stands at about 15 percent. As of Tuesday, Daly said about 150,000 people were waiting in line for vaccine appointments. The state is expecting to open up eligibility for the second phase of vaccine distribution — which will include school and child care staff — at the end of March. The first vaccines in that group are likely to happen in early April, she said, “although the end of March isn’t out of the question if we get increasing allocations. (Source: NHPR)

10. US House to Vote on Biden's $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill With $1,400 Checks. The House will vote on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package Friday, just days after the U.S. crossed 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus. The Democratic-controlled House is expected to pass the sweeping bill, which includes $1,400 direct payments, a $400-a-week federal unemployment bonus, a per-child allowance of up to $3,600 for one year and billions of dollars to distribute the coronavirus vaccines and to assist schools and local governments. It would be the sixth round of aid from the federal government; the economy is still reeling from widespread shutdowns, and most Americans continue to wait their turns to be vaccinated. The House bill also includes a federal minimum wage hike from $7.25 to $15 per hour, phased in over four years. The provision, a top progressive priority, is all but doomed in the Senate after a ruling Thursday evening by the Senate Parliamentarian that it violates the chamber's rules for legislation that can pass with a simple majority. Biden had included the wage hike in his proposal. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to the ruling that the president is "disappointed" but "respects the parliamentarian’s decision and the Senate’s process." (Source: NBC News) Meanwhile, in his Thursday press briefing, Gov. Chris Sununu said if he were a Congressman he would be a “no” vote in Washington on the upcoming COVID-19 relief bill saying it’s too expensive and the formula rewards bad behavior among states. New Hampshire, he boasted, is not among those states which did not shut down at the beginning of the pandemic and now needs more help. (Source: InDepthNH)

11. Another COVID-19 Surge Hangs in the Balance As New Northeast Variant Emerges. Even with slowed infection rates and increased vaccinations, officials say another devastating Covid-19 spike could be on the horizon depending on what the United States does next. "The question that hangs in the balance right now is, will we have a fourth surge?" the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Tom Frieden said on Thursday. "Every uncontrolled spread increases the risk that there will be dangerous variants that can be more infectious, more deadly, or can escape from immune protection." The number of new cases has started to plateau after six straight weeks of decline. Although the fall has come alongside an increase in the administration of vaccines, experts say that they are not the only cause for the lowered numbers. Some of the decrease might be a natural reaction to the end of the holiday season, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But a return to preventative measures might also be a factor. "I think it's a combination of a number of things," Fauci said. The point is to keep doing what has been working, Friedan said. "To track very closely and recognize masking up is here to stay for many more months and avoiding sharing indoor air with others is very important," he added. In addition, a new variant discovered in the Northeast is increasing at an alarming rate, said Dr. David Ho, one of the researchers who helped identify it. Ho said Thursday this could result in a loss of vaccine efficacy, although studies indicate vaccines may still provide strong protection against variants. He added that the variant could be more contagious, but his team does not have evidence to prove that at this time. (Source: CNN) Meanwhile, if you were infected by a variant, would you know? Chances are the answer is “no” because the tests in question for detecting variants have not been approved as a diagnostic tool either by the Food and Drug Administration or under federal rules governing university labs. Until federal rules are changed or waived, lab officials say they can’t tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant. (Source: Kaiser Health News)

12. Do It Yourself COVID Treatments and Emerging Threat. Since the beginning of the pandemic, toxicologists across the country have reported an uptick in poisonings as more people have begun trying at-home coronavirus remedies -- to both prevent catching the virus and to attempt to cure it. It's been months since former President Donald Trump hyped unproven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine, and social media companies have since taken steps to curb the spread of medical misinformation, but doctors say some people are still trying unproven, dangerous methods. "Poison centers are still responding to events related to COVID-19," said Julie Weber, president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers and director of the Missouri Poison Center. "On average, we are getting over 40 to 50 calls per day in addition to what we would normally get pre-pandemic." (Source: ABC News)

13. Record Low Flu Cases this Season Due to COVID-19 Precautions. Thanks to masks and social distancing, New Hampshire is seeing a remarkably mild flu season. The same precautions that have been encouraged to stop the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus has also quelled the spread of most communicable diseases in the state, said Beth Daly, the Chief of the N.H Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. During a typical season, about 50 Granite Staters die of influenza. During the 2020-21 flu season, the state has only recorded two influenza deaths so far. “This year has been incredibly different,” she said. “Probably not seen before for 100 years.” (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 25, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Thursday, February 25

On Wednesday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced two additional deaths and 338 new positive test results for COVID-19. The number of current hospitalizations has dropped to 103, the lowest level since Nov. 20. But while hospitalizations have dropped, the current number of cases climbed to 2,783, compared to 2,728 the day before. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related New Hampshire news you need to know to start your Thursday.

1. Refunding COVID-19 Business Fines Clears House Hurdle. Legislation that would refund business fines and annul criminal convictions for violators of COVID-19 restrictions when the pandemic is over received initial approval Wednesday from the House, over the objection of Gov. Chris Sununu. The 188-169 vote was one of the first acts on specific bills (HB 63) taken this year by the House of Representatives, which was meeting for the first of two days at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford. Rep. Peter Torosian, R-Atkinson, said that forgiving violations of an “unconstitutional executive order” would save and help create more new jobs. But shortly after the vote, Sununu sharply criticized it. "We can't claim to support law and order, then incentivize law-breaking and those who do not follow the rules," Sununu said in a statement. Opponents said giving violators a free pass will undermine public health guidelines. "Freedom from accountability during a pandemic isn't freedom. It's anarchy," said Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth. Meuse said the “clear and unmistakable message” from the bill was that there's no consequence for those who ignore emergency orders Sununu issued to protect public safety in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure is one of about 15 bills House Republicans have sponsored in 2021 to check or erase the emergency powers for New Hampshire governors in future emergencies. (Sources: Union Leader and WMUR) Voting to nullifying penalties for violating emergency orders protecting public health was just the start of a contentious day that ended with most House Democrats walking out and House Republicans ramming through a controversial anti-abortion bill. With Democratic attendance down because many members with health conditional chose not to attend an indoor session where Republican members would be allowed to go maskless, Republicans were also able to pass another anti-abortion bill while killing bills creating an independent redistricting commission, paid sick leave for New Hampshire workers, elder abuse protections for vulnerable adults, and—in a blow to Portsmouth and other communities that will have a direct impact on property taxes—a proposal to have the state pay 5 percent of retirement system contributions for teachers; state, county and municipal workers; police, and firefighters. You can read a summary here. (Source: InDepthNH)

2. FDA Says J&J One-Dose Vaccine is Safe and Effective, Regulatory Approval Expected Soon. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19, according to an analysis by U.S. regulators Wednesday that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration’s scientists confirmed that overall the vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and about 85% effective against the most serious illness. The agency also said J&J's shot — one that could help speed vaccinations by requiring just one dose instead of two — is safe to use. That’s just one step in the FDA’s evaluation of a third vaccine option for the U.S. On Friday, the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend the long-anticipated shot. Armed with that advice, FDA is expected to make a final decision within days. (Source: NECN)

3. Portsmouth Fire Chief Pushes for Portsmouth COVID Vaccination Site. Fire Chief Todd Germain said he is still working to try to get the state to open a COVID-19 vaccination site in the city. “I do know that the state is actively pursuing locations in several communities in our area. They have identified a site in our city and visited that site to see if it’s a viable option, but there hasn’t been any decision made at this point,” Germain told the City Council this week. The state's current drive-through vaccination sites on the Seacoast for people in Phases 1A and 1B are the C&J bus terminal in Dover and Exeter High School. Meanwhile, Portsmouth firefighters have vaccinated 650 residents in the current phases as part of vaccination clinics in the city, Germain said. Those clinics took place in senior housing, at the Cross Roads House shelter, and the Keefe House apartments, among other locations, he said. For people who don’t have access to the state vaccination sites because of a lack of transportation or other issues, they can call the city Fire Department directly for help, Germain said. (Source: Seacoast Online)

4. State, Hospitals Using Vaccine Waitlists In Effort to Limit Waste. With demand for COVID-19 vaccines still far outpacing supply, states and health systems are under enormous pressure to ensure little—or ideally none—expires at day’s end. In New Hampshire, hospitals serving as public vaccination sites, as well as state-run vaccine clinics, are utilizing waitlists to manage last-minute appointments, though the lists themselves aren’t being publicized. “I didn’t know there was such a thing, and I don't think many other people know there is,” said Frances Gallagher, 92, of Berlin. Gallagher learned about a waitlist overseen by Androscoggin Valley Hospital through word of mouth: her sister-in-law called to say they’d been added to the list after calling with a question about scheduling. It isn’t clear if Gallagher, who is scheduled for her first vaccine on April 3, will be one of the lucky ones called for a last-minute shot. Kathi Collins, chief operating officer for Hampstead Hospital, said state health officials encouraged hospitals to do everything they could to utilize the vaccines, but there were no written guidelines, so each participating facility came up with its own rules for the waitlist. At Hampstead, anyone requesting to get on the waitlist needs to have already made an appointment in VAMS, and should live within an hour’s drive of the hospital. So far, Collins says her facility hasn’t wasted a drop. “We wanted to be sure we weren’t going to have any extra doses at all, and we would be able to get every dose that we have in an arm,” Collins said. (Source: NHPR)

5. More Than 400 Attend Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic in N. Haverhill. More than 400 people were vaccinated Wednesday at a clinic in North Haverhill as part of the overall vaccination strategy in rural northern areas of the state, where some say a lot more doses are needed. Cars were lined up at the Horse Meadow Senior Center in North Haverhill as more than 435 local residents age 65 and older received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The collaborative of Androscoggin Valley and Upper Connecticut Valley hospitals, Weeks Medical Center and the home and hospice program are sharing vaccine allocations across sites in Berlin, Colebrook and Lancaster. "Really, we're getting 460 vaccines a week, and our best guestimates from what we've seen and done, we could be doing up to 2,500 a week," Laverty said. While it's not clear how the vaccine doses became available for the North Haverhill clinic, everyone said they're happy for those who benefited. They hope to hold more clinics if vaccine supplies increase. (Source: WMUR)

6. Exeter DPW Workers ‘Quarantine in Truck’ to Clear Snow After COVID Cases. Two town Department of Public Works employees who recently tested positive for COVID-19 landed a majority of workers in quarantine over the past week-plus, creating a large staff shortage ahead of the two most recent snowstorms. Public Works Director Jennifer Perry told members of the Select Board Monday that a “good percentage” of the DPW staff was required to be quarantined, and Health Officer James Murray was tasked with conducting full contact tracing. She said due to lack of manpower, the department was forced to develop a “quarantine in truck” policy ahead of two recent snowstorms, during one of which a water main break occurred. frontlines“Essentially those employees who were quarantined could still report for duty voluntarily during the storms,” Perry said. “It did work. It was very lean as far as our staffing levels.” She said the quarantined employees all returned Monday, and the two employees who tested positive were also medically cleared to return Tuesday. (Source: Seacoast Online)

7. Dartmouth College Reports Spike in COVID-19 Cases. Dartmouth College shifted to “grab-and-go” dining options rather than in-cafeteria meals on Wednesday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases that has put dozens of students in quarantine, according to college officials. “We have 25 active cases currently and we are monitoring approximately 80 students both in quarantine and isolation, including the active cases,” Dartmouth spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said via email Wednesday evening. Hours earlier, Dartmouth COVID-19 Task Force Co-chairs Lisa Adams and Josh Keniston had told the college community by email that there were at least 22 active cases and added “this number may grow overnight.” (Source: The Valley News)

8. Franklin Pierce University Lifts Shelter-in-Place as COVID Cases Decline. In-person classes resumed Tuesday at Franklin Pierce University as COVID-19 cases on campus have declined following an outbreak that prompted the school to issue a 10-day shelter-in-place mandate earlier this month. That order expired at 8 a.m. Monday, according to a message posted on the university’s website. At that time, the campus library and the Grimshaw Gudewicz Activity Center, also known as “the Bubble,” reopened with capacity limits, though the dining hall remained closed for in-person meals and guests are not allowed in any dorm rooms, according to the notice. During the 10-day order, students living on campus were allowed to leave their rooms to use the bathroom, do laundry, pick up meals from the dining hall and address health needs, including COVID-19 testing. All in-person extracurricular activities, including athletics, were suspended, commuter students could not visit campus, and nonessential travel off campus was prohibited. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

9. Nowhere to Go: Family Searches for New Home After Mid-Pandemic Eviction. The Center for Disease Control’s eviction moratorium is currently active through March 31. The moratorium is aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 by allowing tenants to remain quarantined. But the moratorium doesn’t protect people able to pay the rent in situations where the landlord wants them to move out in order to renovate and sell. With New Hampshire’s lack of affordable housing, some are facing homelessness. “We’re seeing a lot of that,” New Hampshire Legal Aid (NHLA) attorney Elliot Berry said. “Obviously there’s plenty of times that’s legitimate, but I don’t have any doubt that, at times, it’s a way to get around the moratorium.” Tenants in such a situation may, in fact, be covered by the moratorium, Berry said, so long as other “tenant fault” situations don’t apply, such as criminal activity, threatening the health and safety of others, or damaging the building. So far this year, there have been 412 landlord-tenant writ cases filed in New Hampshire, and 328 writs of possession. Tenants do not have to leave their homes until the sheriff brings a writ of possession to them, according to NHLA materials used in free, weekly online eviction clinics. New Hampshire’s civil legal aid network helps low-income people, older adults, and people with disabilities by providing free legal information, advice, and representation. French saw an outpouring of local support for affordable housing initiatives during last year’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, but little action, she said. “People said the young people would leave,” for lack of affordable rentals, she said, “We’re losing whole families now.” (Source: Monadnock Ledger-Transcript)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 24, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Wednesday, February 24

State health officials announced one additional death and reported 259 new positive test results for COVID-19 on Tuesday. There are now 2,728 active cases in the state and 112 people are hospitalized—a slight increase from Monday. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Wednesday.

1. As Next Vaccination Phase Nears, Some in Earlier Phase Still Struggling with Appointments. As New Hampshire continues its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, some people in the current phase of the program are worried about the state's plans to move onto the next phase. The state has said it expects to begin Phase 2A of the vaccination program as early as March, while it continues to vaccine people in Phase 1B. "I just don't see how they are going to start Phase 2A when people are still getting their first vaccination under 1B," said Steve Weigardt, of Merrimack. "It doesn't make sense." Weigardt says his appointment is scheduled for April 2. But Perry Plummer, the man in charge of New Hampshire vaccination logistics, said the state is working to move appointments up earlier for those in Phase 1B. "We are actively moving up by the thousands," Plummer said. He said 1,500 people in Phase 1B had their appointments moved up just in the past week. Plummer confirmed there is no waitlist, and he said calling 211 over and over again isn't the best approach because the call center is currently focused on making outbound calls. "There is a small percentage of people that have yet to get their first appointment because of technology or not getting through, and we are actively calling them now," he said. Plummer estimated the number affected is about 2,500 people. N"If you do not get a call in the next 72 hours to get an appointment and you have not been able to get one, please call 211, and we will get you an appointment," he said. (Source: WMUR)

2. Sununu Orders NH Flags to Be Flown at Half-Mast in Honor of COVID Victims. In accordance with the President Biden’s proclamation, Governor Chris Sununu has directed all flags on public buildings and grounds in the State of New Hampshire to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the more than 500,000 Americans and 1,154 Granite Staters who have died from COVID-19, and remain at half-staff until sunset on February 26, 2021. "Today marks a solemn milestone in our nation's fight against COVID-19," said Governor Chris Sununu. "I join with my fellow Americans and Granite Staters in remembering the lives of those we have lost." (Source: NH.gov)

3. NH House to Address More Than 130 Bills Over Two-Day, In-Person Session at Sports Facility. Less than 48 hours after a judge ruled that the Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives could not be forced to allow medically vulnerable members to participate in House sessions remotely, the House will meet in an in-person session today at the the NH Sportsplex in Bedford. While the circumstances of the session are likely to draw more attention than the actual legislation being voted on, the legislation under consideration includes several eye-opening bills. House Bill 625 would ban abortion at 24 weeks or later, while House Bill 233 is a “born alive bill” that sets out “the right of any infant born alive to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment.” House Bill 430 would repeal the current law establishing flexible “buffer zones” around reproductive health care centers. Election- and campaign-related bills to be addressed include House Bill 121, which would establish an independent advisory commission to offer recommendations on redistricting. Also up for a vote is HB-63, which would require fines to be refunded and the record of any penalties for violations of emergency orders created to protect public health during the pandemic to be removed from an individual’s record at the end of the state of emergency. You can see a complete list of the bills the legislature will be voting on Wednesday and Thursday in the House Calendar. The New Hampshire AFL-CIO said Tuesday that it will have union members stationed outside the Sportsplex on Wednesday and Thursday mornings to distribute PPE, including KN95 respirator masks and disposable coverall suits. New Hampshire AFL-CIO President Glenn Brackett said the union preferred remote accommodations for lawmakers with special vulnerability to COVID-19, but he cited the judge’s order. “We didn’t want it to come to this,” Brackett said. “No one should fear going to work. However, distributing personal protective equipment is the least we can do to keep our lawmakers safe.” (Source: WMUR and Personal Notes) https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-house-to-address-more-than-130-bills-over-two-day-in-person-session-at-sports-facility/35605982

4. In-Person Classes to Resume Today at UNH. A decline in positive tests since Thursday in combination no evidence of transmission in teaching spaces prompted the move. According to the UNH COVID-19 Lab Testing Dashboard, active cases on campus have fallen to 297 as of Monday and only 13 people have tested positive so far this week.

5. Costs of COVID-19 Care Add Up for New Hampshire Families. Some New Hampshire families are facing staggering medical bills for COVID-19 treatment. Barbara Russo, of Derry, reached out to News 9 because, she said, she's at her wit's end. She works in long-term care, and her husband is hospitalized with mounting bills and no answers. Russo said her husband has been hospitalized with COVID-19 since late December. Between the ambulance, the emergency room, ICU, tests and medications, she said that so far, the co-pay after Medicare is $72,000. "I'm scared because before this is said and done, it's going to be about $100,000," Russo said. During the pandemic, Russo has been working long hours in a long-term care facility. She tested positive during an outbreak in December, and her husband was diagnosed after. The New Hampshire Hospital Association says that hospitals work with patients to help them navigate their bills and can offer financial assistance, payment programs and discounts, but it varies between hospitals. News 9 also reached out to DHHS and was directed to the New Hampshire Insurance Department, which has not responded. (Source: WMUR)

6. Movie Theaters Hanging By a Thread After Closures, Lack of New Films. New Hampshire-based Cinemagic announced this week it would not reopen its eight theaters in northern New England, including the one in Hooksett. Cineworld, parent company of Regal Theaters including the 10-screen complex on Loudon Road, says it hopes to reopen at least some of its theaters in March after they have been shuttered since last fall, although no details are forthcoming. National chain AMC, which has two theaters in New Hampshire, has said the same. Red River Theaters in downtown Concord has been shuttered for almost a year, although it has some special showings like a Valentine’s Day event in which couples could book private rentals. That did well, said Angie Lane, executive director of the non-profit organization, but it’s no substitute. There is one bright spot, however. So many films have been held back that 2022 could turn out to be a film lover’s dream. (Source: Concord Monitor)

7. More Bank Branches Closing Due to Increased Pressure from COVID and Movement to Online Transactions. Squeezed by a lack of foot traffic due to COVID and society’s movement to online transactions, banks are being forced to take a hard look at the number of physical branches they keep open, with the most vulnerable locations often in rural areas with a single financial institution. Santander is closing its Hillsborough location to consolidate with the branch in Concord, said Tony Rozon, district executive for the bank. In January, TDBank announced 81 branch closures across the Northeast, including its location in Suncook, which is the only operating bank in Allenstown or Pembroke. (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 23, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Tuesday, February 23

An aerial view of the NH SportsPlex in Bedford, where Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions of the New Hampshire House of Representatives will take place.

For the first time since mid-January, state health officials reported no new COVID-19 deaths Monday. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced 252 newly-identified coronavirus infections, including 34 patients under the age of 18. So far, 1,154 Granite Staters have died from the virus, and there have been more than 73,000 infections. 109 residents are currently hospitalized. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Tuesday.

1. Judge Says N.H. Democratic Lawmakers Can't Sue Speaker For Banning Remote Attendance During COVID. About 30 disabled House Democrats at high-risk if they contract COVID-19 will have to decide if they will attend two House sessions this week. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty, denied a request by seven disabled Democrats who sued Republican House Speaker Sherman Packard of Londonderry seeking to attend the sessions remotely rather than in person. The court decision says the Speaker cannot not be sued due to “legislative immunity”. House Minority Leader Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, who was the lead plaintiff in the suit, said the ruling will prohibit some representatives from carrying out their duties. “While today’s ruling is a setback, history will judge New Hampshire House Democrats favorably for standing for public health and democracy during this pandemic,” said Cushing. “Unfortunately, this case has exposed the callous indifference of House Republican leadership toward our most vulnerable members during the COVID-19 crisis that has taken the lives of a half a million Americans.” He noted the complaint was rejected on the narrow claim of legislative immunity and said the Democrats never intended to disrupt the function of the House. “After months of being stonewalled by the Speaker’s Office and House Republicans, we filed this suit to make sure that every single duly elected member of the House, Democrat or Republican, has the ability to represent their constituents without reasonable fear of the health and safety of themselves and their communities,” Cushing said. “All this ruling means is that the Speaker is solely to blame for active and obvious exclusion of members of the House. As we teach our children, just because you can do something does not mean you should.” (Source: InDepthNH)

2. 90 Seats Set Aside for Maskless House Members At This Week’s Sessions. The state on Monday denied InDepthNH.org’s Dec. 21, 2020, right-to-know request relative to how many state legislators and staffers contracted COVID-19 after House Speaker Dick Hinch died from the virus two weeks earlier. “In accordance with NH RSA 141-C:10, we do not release information relating to outbreaks unless there is a compelling public health reason to release information (such as potential community exposure or to control the spread of disease),” wrote Elizbeth Maynard, counsel to the state Department of Health and Human Services in an email. The House clerk’s office said there will be 70 seats set up for House members who refuse to wear masks, and 20 seats for people who medically can’t wear masks, along with a safe area for disabled Democrats who are concerned about contracting the virus. The denial also came the day after The New York Times published that Hillsborough County where the sessions will be held is one of six in New Hampshire where the risk of getting COVID-19 is “extremely high,” pictured in purple, the worst of five categories. (Source: InDepthNH)

3. COVID-19 Tracker: “The Vaccine Rollout is a Disaster, The Vaccine Rollout is a Miracle”. In its weekly analysis of New Hampshire COVID-19 metrics, the Concord Monitor notes the reality of the situation lies somewhere in the middle. Just 14 months after the world reluctantly acknowledged that a completely new disease was spreading throughout the population, we have several effective vaccines that are being produced by the millions and distributed widely. There’s reasonable hope that the pandemic will be under control in the U.S. and many parts of the world before the second anniversary of its discovery rolls around. Having said that, there are of course problems with the vaccine rollout. Many people who deserve shots haven’t gotten them yet; websites organizing sign-ups have failed; and underserved populations in the United States and all over the world are being overlooked. As of this writing New Hampshire says it has been allocated enough doses of the two mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) to give to one-quarter of Phase 1B, which includes all people over age 64. The bulk of the state’s population remains in waiting mode. However, we recently passed a psychological point: More New Hampshire residents have gotten their second vaccine dose (75,000) than have gotten COVID-19 since we started counting (69,000). Meanwhile, case levels and hospitalizations continue to go down but are still too high. The positivity rate is also declining, indicating the virus is not spreading as quickly. (Source: Concord Monitor)

4. Mass. Spent $438K On the Vaccine Website That Crashed. Gov. Charlie Baker is due to testify before a committee of lawmakers this week after his administration admitted the state's vaccine booking website, which crashed last week, cost nearly a half a million dollars.Baker will go before the legislature's COVID-19 and Emergency Management and Preparedness Committee on Thursday at an oversight hearing probing the state's beleaguered vaccine rollout. One area that panel could delve into is the latest major bump in the rollout process, which occurred when Massachusetts' Vaxfinder signup website crashed Thursday as 1 million more people became eligible to get the vaccine. The state spent a total of $438,531 in its contract with the Maryland-based software company PrepMod, which took responsibility for the crash last week of the vaccine-booking website, according to the State House News Service. (Source: NECN) The news comes as New Hampshire gets ready to roll out a similar system for the start of Phase 2a, which will include K-12 teachers, school staff, and childcare staff. Perry Plummer, who heads logistics for the state’s vaccination efforts, said the state is on track to finish up Phase 1b in March and then move on to 2a, which would start at the end of March or the beginning of April. Plummer said the state will make a public announcement regarding the date the new registration website will go live and when Phase 2a shots will begin. (Source: WMUR) The cost of the New Hampshire system has not yet been revealed by Gov. Sununu.

5. Pandemic Forces CineMagic theaters to Close for Good. Cinemagic movie theaters across New England will stay closed for good, according to employees at the Westbrook, Maine cinema location. Earlier this month, the New Hampshire-based theater chain announced that all locations would be "taking an intermission" until spring. Cinemagic has New Hampshire locations in Hooksett, Merrimack, and Portsmouth and Maine locations in Saco, South Portland and Westbrook. (Source: WMUR)

6. Vaccination Efforts Bring Relief to Hanover Nursing, Retirement Homes. As they continue to operate under strict COVID-19 measures, assisted-living facilities in the Upper Valley are busy vaccinating residents and staff after a difficult year of sickness and isolation. At area nursing and retirement homes Hanover Terrace, Wheelock Terrace and Kendal at Hanover, most residents and staff have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to administrators at all three facilities. Nearly all residents of Hanover Terrace and Wheelock Terrace have received both doses, while second shots are still underway at Kendal at Hanover. At all three facilities, a select few residents and staff members have declined vaccines on medical, political or religious grounds. For Hanover Terrace, the vaccines arrived amid a particularly devastating winter. In December, a COVID-19 outbreak ravaged the nursing home, leading to seven deaths and infecting 68 of the facility’s 74 residents. The executive director of Wheelock Terrace, Melissa Suckling, said that the pandemic has been “very, very emotionally draining” for residents. In order to combat fatigue, Suckling said Wheelock Terrace reminds families that they can send gifts or cards to their loved ones, or reach out digitally. “We do a lot of FaceTimes; there has been a significant technology boom,” Suckling said. She added that several families have purchased iPads for their loved ones, or more simple tablets called GrandPads. (Source: The Dartmouth)

7. States Reopen Health Insurance Enrollment; Both NH and VT Have Special Sign-Up Period Because of Pandemic. People without health insurance can enroll in plans through the Affordable Care Act now through mid-May. Both Vermont and New Hampshire opened “special enrollment” periods last week, allowing those without health insurance to sign up for health plans through either Vermont Health Connect in Vermont or healthcare.gov in New Hampshire. The states did so in accordance with a Jan. 28 executive order by President Joe Biden requiring that the exchanges reopen to allow people who have lost their job-based health plans during the COVID-19 pandemic to enroll. The exchanges allow those who qualify to receive premium and cost-sharing assistance. “With this opportunity, New Hampshire residents who are uninsured will be able to sign up for coverage without waiting until the next regular open enrollment period at the end of the year,” New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Chris Nicolopoulos said in a news release. (Source: the Valley News) In New Hampshire, those seeking federal financial assistance to pay for a plan can enroll through HealthCare.gov. Insurance agents or enrollment assistants are available to help navigate the process. Granite Staters also can call the insurance department at 800-852-3416.

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 22, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Monday, February 22

(Graphic: New York Times)

State health officials announced one additional death Sunday, bringing the total COVID-19 death toll in New Hampshire to 1,154. The state also reported 267 new cases, and active infections statewide fell below 3,000 -- to 2,940. Currently, 109 residents are hospitalized with the virus. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Monday.

1. U.S. Death Toll from Coronavirus Tops Half a Million People. Deaths from COVID-19 ticked past 500,000 on Sunday, according to an NBC News tally — a milestone that underscores the grave threat the virus still poses nationwide even as more Americans get vaccinated. NBC News' tally showed that roughly 500,002 people had died of COVID-19 as of Sunday afternoon. The number of dead rivals the population of Atlanta or Sacramento, California, and is more than double the number of Americans who died in battle in World War II, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. President Joe Biden will mark the milestone with a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony at the White House on Monday at sunset. (Source: NECN)

2. NH's Winter COVID Surge is Receding, But Experts Urge Continued Caution. The pandemic’s devastating winter surge has ebbed over the past several weeks, with fewer New Hampshire residents catching and dying from COVID-19. On Sunday, the number of active cases in New Hampshire fell to under 3,000 for the first time since mid-November. But the state continues to add hundreds of new cases per day, and medical experts warn that public-health precautions are as important as ever. “This is encouraging,” Dr. Jose Mercado, the associate hospital epidemiologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, said of the recent trends. “This is what we’re hoping for.” Even with the recent decline, case numbers are still much higher than they were in the summer and early fall, before the winter surge began; more than 3,000 people were considered actively infected as of Friday. Two months into New Hampshire’s vaccination campaign, more than 150,000 people — about 11 percent of the state’s population — had been at least partially vaccinated as of Thursday, But it will still be some time before enough people are vaccinated to reach herd immunity, and in the meantime, experts said it’s essential to keep wearing masks, practicing good hygiene, avoiding gatherings and taking other protective steps to reduce viral spread. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

3. Judge’s Ruling on Denial of Remote Participation to Disabled NH Legislators Expected Today. With only two days left until an in-person session of the New Hampshire House of Representatives is scheduled to take place, Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty is expected to make a decision Monday on a lawsuit brought by House Democrats that would force GOP leadership to allow disabled legislators to participate remotely. On Friday, she told the two sides that she viewed the key issue as “legislative immunity,” and gave the attorneys until midnight Saturday to file additional briefs on the issue. “This is an important issue and it’s complicated. It’s a threshold issue, really,” McCafferty said. The Democrats claim their rights under the Americans with Disabilities and Rehabilitation acts trump legislative immunity because they are intended to cover everyone, including governments, but the House Speaker maintains legislative immunity still holds and bars judicial intervention. The Speaker maintains that until the House changes its rules to allow remote participation, in-person attendance of sessions is required to take part. However, when the issue of a rules change has twice come up for a vote, the Republican majority has voted it down along party lines. The disabled legislators have health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the potential impact of COVID. Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions will be held indoors at a Bedford soccer facility with several dozen Republican legislators expected to go maskless. (Source: InDepthNH)

4. In-Person Classes to Resume at UNH on Wednesday. In an email to students on Sunday, UNH President James Dean, Jr. said that in-person classes on the Durham campus will resume on Wednesday. Dean said a decline in positive tests since Thursday in combination no evidence of transmission in teaching spaces prompted the move. He also said that if “encouraging trends continue”, the university could ditch from “orange” to “yellow” operations on March 1. He urged students to stay vigilant and to have patience with instructors transitioning back to in-person learning. (Source: The New Hampshire Twitter Feed) According to the UNH COVID-19 Testing Dashboard, the weekly number of newly diagnoses cases has fallen from 385 on the opening week of classes to 183 in the most recent week listed. (Source: UNH)

5. Smaller NH Colleges Working to Keep COVID-19 Cases Low. While the state’s larger colleges, like the University of New Hampshire and Plymouth State, are starting to get a handle on major outbreaks; most smaller colleges report scattered cases, but nothing like what larger schools are experiencing. St. Anselm College in Manchester had 23 active cases on Sunday. Those students are isolated and officials with the school said contact tracing was performed for each case. New England College in Henniker has had three people test positive for COVID-19, two had been taking part in remote learning at home and the other is in isolation on campus. Both schools said they always knew they would have cases on their campuses. But with COVID-19 guidelines in place, including testing, their goal is to keep case numbers down. (Source: WMUR) One smaller college that experienced higher case levels than most, Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, is now down to 29 active cases as of Sunday. (Source: FPU)

6. ‘It's Like Liquid Gold': NH Hospitals Create Daily Plan for Leftover Vaccine Doses. There have been stories of mad dashes to vaccination sites late in the evenings, with people trying to get one of the leftover doses at the end of the day -- it happened not long ago in Danvers, Massachusetts -- so to avoid that kind of chaos, several hospitals in New Hampshire have come up with a daily strategy. “It’s liquid gold," said Karen Superchi, VP of patient care at Littleton Regional Hospital in Littleton, New Hampshire. Between no-shows, and plus ones – it’s not easy for any vaccine site to perfectly match the number of doses pulled in the morning, to the exact number of patients who will arrive by the end of the day – leaving leftover doses that will go bad if not administered right away. Early on in the vaccine rollout, a scheduling glitch with the federal website forced 1,600 canceled appointments at Littleton Regional – so now, Superchi turns to that cancellation list to offer up any extra doses. "It’s the highlight of each day to call someone and say, 'hey, we have a dose. Would you be able to come and get it?'" she said. It’s a similar story at Memorial Hospital in North Conway. To use up any leftover doses, Will Owen and his team use the VAMS database and call people who have appointments booked, say, a month from now. "On these days when you call someone it’s pretty cool," he said. "And their response is usually silence and then, 'Are you serious? Like right now? I can some right now?' And I say, 'Yeah you can come right now.'" (Source: NECN)

7. Some Lodging Facilities in NH See Increased Business During School Vacation Week. Some New Hampshire lodging facilities have seen an uptick in business this week amid school vacations. Cranmore Inn in North Conway said in 2020, business was down 30%. But this month it has been up 10% compared to last February and it has been their best February in their 9 years of ownership. They said most of the guests are from New England and the increase in business has been a nice surprise. “I did not come into February with a lot of advanced reservations. So, we were thinking we were going to see more of the same and then probably somewhere around the second week, or seventh week of February,” said Christopher Bells from the inn. “We started seeing an uptick in the reservations and all of a sudden it was just going through the roof. (Source: WMUR)

8. When Seacoast Restaurant Workers Can't Pay Bills, The Industry Guild Steps Up to Help. In March 2020 as the pandemic first struck, Jocelyn Toffic and three co-organizers, all experienced restaurant workers, began an emergency restaurant worker relief fund called The Industry Guild. Toffic said the group, which does not hold official non-profit status, helps struggling food service staff make payments on critical need items and provide financial support, regardless of whether they are currently employed. More than $9,500 has been raised since its inception via the Guild’s GoFundMe page. Toffic and co-organizers Nell Henderson-Brown, Hillary Schmidle and Ariel Oxaal, now a Democratic state representative for Dover's Ward 3, set up the account to benefit workers in eight local municipalities. Dover, Newington, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton, Greenland, Newmarket and Kittery restaurant workers can apply and receive grants from the Guild. Since beginning nearly a year ago, with word of the organization spread largely on Facebook and by word of mouth, The Industry Guild has sent grants to 27 workers while also accommodating 14 dependents among them. With about $2,000 in the account currently, Toffic is anxious to send checks to local workers who might need it. At this point, she doesn’t know when she’ll shut down the fund and solely focus on the Guild’s expansion to a larger movement.“Either we’ll run out of applicants or we’ll run out of money,” she said. “Hopefully, we run out of both at the same time.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 21, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Sunday, February 21

Active coronavirus cases in southern New Hampshire communities as of Saturday. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

On Saturday, New Hampshire public health officials announced one additional death and 396 new positive tests for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Sunday.

1. One Death, 396 New Cases. Current COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Hampshire continue to drop. There were 109 residents hospitalized Saturday, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Health officials announced one additional coronavirus death - a man from Grafton County. There have been 1,153 deaths in New Hampshire since the pandemic began. The state also reported 396 new cases and 3,081 active infections statewide. Durham continued to have the most active cases in New Hampshire with 358. Manchester was second in the state with 276. Dover (58 cases) was second to Durham on the Seacoast, followed by Portsmouth, Somersworth (42), Rochester—all with 44. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

2. Maine, New Hampshire Surpass 200,000 Vaccine Doses in Arms. As of Friday, Feb. 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine tracker, New Hampshire had received a total of 321,625 doses of vaccine from either Pfizer or Moderna and delivered 226,863 doses (71%). That includes more than 157,00 first doses and nearly 70,000 second doses. New Hampshire is currently vaccinating people in phases 1A (health-care workers and first responders) and 1B (all people age 65 and older, plus people with certain medical conditions). Phase 2A will include teachers, though a start date has not been announced. (Source: Seacoast Online)

3. After Initial Sign-Up Hiccups, COVID-19 Vaccination Progressing in NH, VT, Albeit Slowly. As soon as registration for COVID-19 vaccine appointments opened to people 65 and older in New Hampshire at 8 a.m. on Jan. 22, Dean Brown logged on. But Brown, a 76-year-old West Lebanon resident, said he initially had the wrong web address. He eventually landed on the right site vaccines.nh.gov and was able to register. A couple days later, he got an email inviting him to schedule an appointment, but the earliest he could find was at the end of March. “What I find extremely arrogant is the system’s insistence that we can do everything easily online,” Brown said of himself and his contemporaries in late January. “We grew up with black-and-white TV.” The initial frustration experienced by Brown and others in those early days has been at least somewhat alleviated as people have become more familiar with the scheduling systems. Even so, the Twin States, like the rest of the country, still have a long way to go to achieve the level of immunity health officials say is required for life to return to some semblance of pre-pandemic normal. In New Hampshire, 160,000 people—about 11% of state residents—had received at least one dose as of Thursday. About 75,000 Granite Staters have gotten both required doses. In Vermont, 16% of residents have received their first dose. While most vaccines in New Hampshire are going to 13 fixed sites, the Vermont program now includes a range of sites such as pharmacies, hospitals and other clinics. Visiting nurse organizations also are distributing vaccines to homebound Vermonters. (Source: The Valley News)

4. NH Readying for Bigger Supply of Vaccine. As New Hampshire makes its way through the second COVID-19 vaccination group, the state is trying to keep pace with slowly increasing vaccine shipments and surplus doses from pharmacies while it reschedules appointments for earlier dates and prepares to open more local vaccination sites. Although supply is still tight after two months, the state is receiving more doses. That means those in the 1B group — people over 65 and those with health conditions that make COVID-19 infection especially dangerous — are having their April and May appointments moved up to February and March. The state received almost 40,000 doses each of the past two weeks, according to state data, up from fewer than 20,000 doses per week in January. The state still is primarily using drive-through vaccination sites, though officials expect soon to call on hospitals, doctors’ offices and urgent care clinics to vaccinate patients. (Source: Manchester Union Leader)

5. UNH Workers Get 177 About-To-Expire COVID-19 Vaccinations. University of New Hampshire staffers who work directly with students benefited from COVID-19 vaccinations that were about to expire on Wednesday, according to Paul Dean, chief of the university’s police department. Dean said he was notified Tuesday night that 250 shots were set to expire Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and he said they were able to save 177 of those doses with willing workers. Dean said the shots were given to hall directors, dining staff and housekeepers along with faculty and staffers who are people of color “knowing that people of color have more difficulties with the virus.” He said he got the call from the Strafford County public health network asking if the university could round up enough people to avoid wasting the doses. “We’re not going to turn that away. There was no secret about it,” Dean said. “We’re very appreciative.” The university is currently in remote learning status because of a spike in the number of active COVID-19 cases. (Source: InDepthNH) As of Thursday, the UNH COVID-19 Lab Testing Dashboard was reporting 506 active cases on campus.

6. Your Guide To Coronavirus Vaccines In New Hampshire. NHPR has created an excellent set of answers to frequently asked questions about the vaccination process in New Hampshire. You can find information on each phase, who is eligible, how to register, what to do if your second appointment falls outside the vaccine manufacture’s guideline, vaccination locations, and much more. Access it here. (Source: NHPR)

7. Baker to Attend Mass. Vaccine Rollout Oversight Hearing. Gov. Charlie Baker will attend an upcoming oversight hearing on Massachusetts' coronavirus rollout, one of the lawmakers who is chairing the panel holding the hearing said Friday night. Rep. Bill Driscoll, D-Milton, said that Baker's office confirmed he would attend the hearing on Thursday. Driscoll and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, are chairing the new COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Committee, which will examine the Baker administration's efforts to roll out the vaccine, a process that hasn't been smooth. The latest major bump in the rollout process came Thursday, when Massachusetts' Vaxfinder signup website crashed amid high demand as 1 million more people became eligible to be vaccinated. (Source: NECN)

8. Over 7,300 New Hampshire Businesses Have Taken PPP2 Loans so Far. New Hampshire businesses are taking out loans in the second round of the federal Paycheck Protection Program at a steady, but slowly declining, clip, according to the latest report from the U.S. Small Business Administration. During the last reporting period (Feb. 7-15), the SBA approved 1,273 New Hampshire loans totaling $108 million, bringing the total so far in this round to 7,341 business for $704 million. During the deliberately slow rollout (January 11-24), Granite State businesses took out $233 million in loans. The size of the average loan has gone down as well. The average New Hampshire loan size started at $108,000, but is now at $96,000. That is still above the national average of $75,000, which also is declining. (Source: NH Business Review) Meanwhile, the future of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center is in peril after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s proposed state budget dramatically cut funding for the agency. The newly proposed budget calls for the agency's $880,000 appropriation from the state to be cut down to $50,000 in 2022 before dropping to zero in 2023, budget documents show. On top of that loss, cuts also usher the loss of a $1.5 million federal matching grant by the U.S Small Business Administration, leaving the agency with few options to turn for funding – none of which could make up that funding gap. State Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, said members of both parities are "just as perplexed" about the cuts, and he expects bipartisan opposition of cutting the funding. In the Seacoast region, the NH SBDC supported 451 clients last year, helping them access $14.7 million in new capital and increase their client sales by $4.9 million, resulting in 433 jobs created or saved. (Source: Seacoast Online)

9. A Pandemic Baby Bust in NH? There’s always much to consider when bringing a new life into the world, and recent months have only added to the challenge. A highly contagious virus has spread rampantly in almost every U.S state. Americans are perhaps more polarized than they’ve ever been. The economy is shaky. The number of new births in New Hampshire seems to reflect these anxieties. In December of 2020, nine months after the state’s first stay-at-home order was announced, there were about 180 fewer births than the same period in 2019 and at least 100 fewer than any year since 2015, according to data from the NH Vital Records Information Network. (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 20, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Saturday, February 20

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced two additional deaths on Friday and 379 new positive test results. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Saturday.

1. Hospitalizations Continue to Decrease. The state announced two additional COVID-19 deaths Friday, as well as 379 new cases. There are currently 3,056 active infections statewide and 116 residents hospitalized. Hospitalizations continue to trend downward; there are 10 fewer people hospitalized than Thursday's report. Since the pandemic began, New Hampshire has reported 1,152 deaths and confirmed 72,767 coronavirus cases. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

2. UNH Students, Durham Face 'Misery' as Active COVID Cases Surge Past 500. Thursday statistics from UNH’s testing and tracing lab shows the school has 506 active coronavirus cases among students and staff, spiking by nearly 240 cases since the school initiated numerous restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus last Thursday. Of the active cases, 498 are tied to members of the student body, with another 637 students needing to quarantine as a result of exposure and contact tracing. Tests from the last week show 1.34% positivity rate among the 22,424 COVID-19 tests processed by UNH’s lab. Todd Selig, Durham’s town administrator, said he has had ongoing meetings with UNH leadership on the growing case count. “Of course, I’m very concerned and it's a topic that we’ve been monitoring very closely on a daily basis,” he said. (Source: Seacoast Online) UNH President James Dean said he's cautiously optimistic about containing the university's largest COVID-19 outbreak of the pandemic so far. "We peaked at about 80-something positive cases per day last week," he said. "Now, we're down to about 40. We have reason to believe we'll be down to 30. So whatever wave it was we had last week for whatever reason, it looks like it's passing." (Source: WMUR)

3. School Districts Had Plans to Move to Hybrid Model Before Sununu Executive Order Issued. Officials in school districts that are affected by Gov. Chris Sununu's executive order requiring at least two days of in-class instruction each week are asking why the order is necessary since that's what they were already planning. The executive order signed Friday requires schools to implement at least a hybrid learning model by March 8. Somersworth and Dover are the two major public school districts left in the state where some grade levels are still fully or mostly remote. "It really doesn't alter anything we are doing because we've been slowly and methodically bringing more and more students in," Somersworth Superintendent Robert Gadomski said. Gadomski said the district plans to be in a hybrid model by March 8. Dover started two weeks ago with kindergarten through fourth-grade students back five days with a virtual option. "The idea was to keep phasing students in all the way up through March 8 and open up a fully hybrid model starting March 15 for the high school and the middle school," Dover Superintendent Bill Harbron said. The order and its earlier deadline caught Harbron off guard and prompted a call to the Department of Education. "When I said, 'OK, we can stay the course,' there was a sigh of relief," he said. "OK, now we've got time to make sure we do this correctly." (Source: WMUR) New Hampshire is one of only a handful of states that are requiring in-person learning right now. Minnesota’s Democratic governor announced earlier this week that schools should reopen for in-person instruction by March 8, but Minnesota is one of eight states that have prioritized the vaccination of teachers, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Iowa, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas with Republican governors, are other states that have mandated a return to classrooms, for at least part of the school week this spring. (Source: InDepthNH)

4. NH Parents Maintain Freedom to Keep Kids Home from School. Starting one week after students return from February vacation, schools will be required to open their doors for in-person learning at least two days week. However, parents who do not want to send their children back for in-person classes will not be forced to. “Schools can still offer a remote-only option for anyone who wants it,” said Ben Vihstadt, a spokesperson for the governor. (Source: Concord Monitor)

5. House Remote Access Hangs on Legislative Immunity Question. Legislative immunity is the critical question for a federal judge to determine whether to grant a temporary restraining order forcing the House Speaker to allow 28 disabled Democrats to meet remotely during House sessions next week. Lawyers for the plaintiffs including House Minority Leader Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, argue the state is not immune from meeting the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the related Rehabilitation Act. They say because the state has taken federal funds, the immunity provision does not apply, noting the federal acts were meant to apply to everyone including the state. But attorneys for House Speaker Sherman Packard claim federal case law on legislative immunity would prohibit litigation both personally and officially and say it is a significant “barrier” to the Democrats’ request. After a four-hour hearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty, she told the attorneys to file additional briefs on the issue by midnight Saturday so she can make an expedited decision. “This is an important issue and it’s complicated. It’s a threshold issue, really,” McCafferty said. (Source: InDepthNH) The judge said she will review any new briefs submitted by attorneys for the two sides before making her decision. The House is currently set to meet in-person at a Bedford indoor soccer facility next Wednesday and Thursday.

6. Expanded Absentee Voting Faces Uncertain Future. Expanded absentee voting eligibility helped propel New Hampshire to a new voter turnout record in 2020, despite lots of uncertainty around how the pandemic would affect the election. Now, policymakers are split — largely along partisan lines — about what the future of absentee voting in New Hampshire should look like. NHPR has identified more than 60 different bills taking aim at different parts of New Hampshire’s election processes, from relatively minor administrative changes to more sweeping efforts to restrict voting access for college students. About a dozen proposals deal directly with absentee voting. That includes: bills that would make absentee voting more widely accessible, even after the pandemic; bills that would make absentee voting less accessible, or at least impose more requirements on those who want to vote this way; and those that would make changes to how absentee ballots are processed. This year, Democrats have put forward three separate bills aiming to bring no-excuse absentee voting to New Hampshire. At a recent hearing on one of these bills, supporters outnumbered opponents 64-5. Those eager to expand absentee eligibility pointed to the success of last fall’s elections, and the increased turnout, as evidence that this would encourage more voter participation and that New Hampshire’s election system was prepared to handle the extra paperwork that came with absentee balloting. Derry Town Moderator Tina Guilford, reflecting on the feedback she heard from voters during the fall elections, was more blunt: “I think all this absentee is coming, whether anybody likes it or not.” As reported by NPR, on the heels of a record-breaking year for voter turnout, Republicans in State Houses across the country “are proposing a wave of new voting laws that would effectively make it more difficult to vote in future elections,” by absentee ballot or otherwise. Here in New Hampshire, a pair of bills would add more steps to the absentee process. One, backed by a group of House Republicans, would require additional verification from voters who request to have a ballot mailed to an address other than their primary residence listed in the voter checklist.Another, brought by Sen. Bob Giuda and five other Republicans, would require voters to submit copies of their driver’s license or other ID when submitting an absentee ballot. (Source: NHPR)

7. Vermont Eases Travel Restrictions for Those Fully Vaccinated. Vermont is easing travel restrictions for Vermonters and visitors who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 starting next week, Gov. Phil Scott announced Friday. Two weeks after receiving their second dose of the vaccine, Vermonters do not have to quarantine after travel starting on Tuesday, he said during his twice-weekly virus briefing. Out-of-state visitors to Vermont also are exempt from quarantining if they can prove that they have been fully vaccinated. (Source: NECN)

8. Performance Venues Prepare for New Seasons as Pandemic Continues. Performance venues are preparing for their second summer and fall seasons amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and some are staying optimistic, despite the challenges. The Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord has survived over the past year with the help of $1.2 million in federal aid. The arts center is working with a staff of 10 to develop summer and fall programming. "We would think again about going back outside," Clarke said. "Last year, we did some wonderful concerts out in the park." They are also looking at the possibility of heading inside. "We need the numbers to be safe enough and have enough people vaccinated so the theaters can really open back up at full capacity, and then, of course, we need everyone to feel comfortable sitting next to each other again," Clarke said. (Source: WMUR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 19, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Friday, February 19

Gov. Sununu issuing an emergency order forcing N.H. Schools districts to hold in-person classes at least two days a week. State teachers say the order will have minimal impact because the vast majority of New Hampshire school districts have already resumed full in-person or hybrid learning.

On Thursday, New Hampshire public health officials announced 11% of state residents have now received their first dose and 5% have been fully vaccinated. The state also announced two additional deaths and 461 new cases. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Friday.

1. Sununu Orders All Schools To Reopen, Teachers Say He’s Late To The Game. For the behavioral health and psychological wellbeing of the state’s children, Gov. Chris Sununu said at his Thursday news conference that he will issue an executive order requiring school districts to return them to classrooms for at least two days a week starting March 8. “The data is all very clear whether it is the state, the CDC, everyone has said that there is no reason,” not to open all schools, that they have “to come into at least a hybrid level of learning,” Sununu said. Megan Tuttle, president of the teachers’ union NEA-NH, said on Twitter that Sununu is “late to the game” with his order, just as he was last spring on recommending safety protocols for schools. “Educators and districts have already worked together to reopen more than 80 percent of New Hampshire schools for at least two to three days a week of in-person instruction – some for even more days each week.He still has not responded to our repeated requests to meet to work together on this issue. And now, late again and at the last minute, he issues an Emergency Order to mandate schools provide some measure of in-person instruction. We have no doubt that we will see this action on his list of ‘accomplishments’ as he begins his run for Senate,” Tuttle said. (Source: InDepthNH) Earlier this week, two top Sununu appointees announced the state would not be following CDC guidance on the return of K-12 children to the classroom. Instead, the state will use New Hampshire guidelines that critics say fail to adequately take into account the actual risk of community spread. Sununu’s action comes a week after a press conference where he threatened districts still in full remote with an “iron first” is they didn’t bring children back into the classroom. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to be a harsh reality for many school districts which continue to ping-pong back and forth between remote, hybrid, and in-person learning whenever new cases arise. After new cases were identified in students in the Hinsdale School District on Wednesday, both elementary and middle/high school students switched to full remote classes, which are expected to last through today. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

2. Fueled by College Outbreaks, Number of New COVID-19 Cases Increases. More new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in New Hampshire in the past few days, largely because of new cases on college campuses, health officials said Thursday. Health officials reported 461 new cases Thursday, with 141 coming from colleges and universities. Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state epidemiologist, said the state was averaging 350-400 new cases a day last week. But even with the increase in new cases, the state reported the number of active COVID-19 cases in the state has fallen to 3,048. Two more deaths were reported, both connected to long-term care facilities, Chan said. There have been 1,150 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic. (Source: WMUR) According to DHHS, Durham now leads the state with 411active cases. Manchester (282), Nashua (212), and Salem (109) are the only other New Hampshire communities reporting more than 100 active cases. Portsmouth has 44.

3. Vaccine Update: 11% of State Residents Have Received At Least One Dose. Dr. Beth Daly of the state Bureau of Infectious Diseases said as of Thursday 228,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered including 72,000 second doses. That means about 11 percent of the state’s population has had at least one dose and 5 percent is now fully vaccinated. Last week at this time, 9.9% of Granite Staters had received their first dose and 4.3% had received their second. The state expects to receive over 5,000 more doses next week than this week, going from about 22,000 to 27,000. This will accelerate vaccination schedules. Daly also said equity allocation continues to grow and is targeting the vulnerable poor, elderly and homeless. There are 44 vaccination events that have been scheduled at low-income and senior housing 11% of New Hampshire's population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 5% are now fully vaccinated. (Source: InDepthNH)

4. Outbreak Update: One New Nursing Home Outbreak Added As State Closes 13 Others. The number of active outbreaks at New Hampshire nursing homes, assisted living centers, jails and prisons now total 11—the lowest number the state has reported since early November. Among the outbreaks that were closed is a month-long outbreak at Portsmouth’s Edgewood Centre that infected 49 residents and staff and took the lives of two residents. Also closed were outbreaks at the Hillsborough Country House of Corrections, where 114 inmates and 54 staff were infected, and the Strafford County Jail where 127 inmates and 14 staff have now recovered from the virus. The only new outbreak reported was at Mt. Carmel Rehabilitation and Nursing in Manchester where 8 residents and 7 staff have tested positive. The largest remaining outbreak continues be at the N.H. State Men’s Prison where 266 inmates and 66 staff have been infected and one inmate has lost his life. (Source: N.H. DHHS) However, the N.H. Department of Corrections is reporting that all but two inmates have recovered as of Thursday. (Source: N.H. DOC)

5. With More N.H. Students Absent During Pandemic, Some Schools Turn to Child Protection Services. New Hampshire schools are trying to keep track of kids learning remotely. And if students are chronically absent, the school has a few options: Call the parents. Send a school employee to knock on their door. Or, call the state’s Child Protection Services. That option is becoming more popular as the pandemic drags on. This past December, the state received twice as many complaints about education neglect as it had in prior years. Complaints of older students with truancy issues have also skyrocketed. (Source: NHPR)

6. State To Add Some Emergency Beds for Children in Psychiatric Distress. With the number of children and adults in need of psychiatric care being held in emergency rooms reaching historic numbers, the state announced Thursday it will temporarily transition ten beds at New Hampshire Hospital to care for children. The state has long struggled with a shortage of inpatient and community-based treatment options for people with mental health crises. In recent days, the number of children being held inside emergency rooms waiting to be transferred to a more appropriate facility has grown to 50. New Hampshire Hospital, which has been caring for adults, will immediately turn a ten-bed unit into a wing for children, Lori Shibinette, commissioner for DHHS, announced Thursday. (Source: NHPR)

7. Kids Who Had COVID Should Have Heart Checked Before Starting Sports. Medical professionals say that youth sports physicals should include evaluation of the heart for children and teens who have had and cleared cases of COVID-19. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society for Sports Medicine issued similar guidelines for physicians who do sports physicals, saying there is a chance that kids who had COVID-19 may have suffered unsuspected damage to their heart, putting them at risk during the added exertion of sports training and play. On their website, The American Academy of Pediatrics, in their COVID-19 Interim Guidance: Return to Sports, says “Youth who have recovered from COVID-19 should be cleared for a return to sports by their physician and undergo evaluation for cardiac symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations or syncope. A positive cardiac screen or other concerning findings should prompt an electrocardiogram (EKG) and potential referral to a pediatric cardiologist.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

8. Frontline Workers Facing Increasing Stress and Burnout as Pandemic Endures. At a roundtable with U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, first responders said they are facing a growing emotional toll and burnout. Mark Newport, the chief of police at the Portsmouth Police Department, said many officers at first struggled with fear of the unknown – while most people were able to hide from the virus in their homes, officers were still on the streets, regularly coming in contact with others. As officers on his force began to fall ill with COVID-19, the fear became more tangible. Newport said one of the greatest tools in recovering from the stressors like these is being able to take a break. He said the pandemic has all but ended vacation time for his officers. “We have to come to work every single day without breaking,” he said. “We haven’t had the luxury in a year of having that time off.” The N.H Department of Health has attempted to address this burnout and stress by rolling out a mental health hotline exclusively for frontline workers. Dan Goonan, the fire chief at the Manchester Fire Department, said it’s not just the frontline workers who are impacted by the pandemic. Families of frontline workers bear some of the burden as well. “We’re worried about bringing it home, we have family members that may be laid off, we have kids out of school. It’s just so much stuff going on and it adds up,” he said. “You can see it on their faces that they’re just drained.” (Source: Concord Monitor)

9. Big Decline Seen in NH Unemployment Filings. There was a sharp decline in unemployment claims filed last week, according to the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security, which had to amend a report from the federal government that showed an increase. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday morning that 3,777 initial jobless claims were filed in New Hampshire for the week ending Feb. 13, which would have been a 25% increase. However, according to state DES Deputy Commissioner Richard Lavers, about 1,500 of them were actually claims related to ID theft, so the actual total was 2,237, a 26% decrease from the week before. Even the lower figure is more than four times the number of people who were being laid off before the pandemic, showing that this economic turmoil, like the virus, doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. (Source: NH Business Review)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 18, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Thursday, February 18

Active cases at UNH have increased 75% in just five days. (Source: UNH COVID-19 Dashboard)

On Wednesday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced 12 additional deaths and 379 new positive test results for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Thursday.

1. 12 Additional Deaths As COVID Continues to Claim NH Seniors. The 12 additional deaths all involve people age 60 or older. Six were Rockingham County residents, four were from Hillsborough County, and two were from other counties. To date, 96.9% of the state’s 1,148 deaths have occurred in this age group. 379 new cases were announced. After new cases, recoveries and deaths were factored in, the number of active cases in the state was 3,372. 126 people were hospitalized with the virus. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

2. Federal Judge Urges House Democrats, Speaker to Reach Agreement on Session Dispute. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty made it clear that the federal judiciary really doesn’t want to get in the middle of a dispute involving the state Legislature. But unless there is an agreement soon, attorneys for seven House Democrats and Speaker Sherman Packard will hold a hearing before her Friday on the Democrats' motion to require the Speaker to allow 28 lawmakers to participate remotely in the Feb. 24-25 House sessions. Packard is requiring all lawmakers to attend the session at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford. He has stressed that precautions are being taken to mitigate exposure to COVID-19 infection and that at 50,000 square feet, the facility will accommodate social distancing. “As you might imagine, federal courts getting involved in something like this is something that a federal court does not enjoy. This is a matter that involves the Speaker and the House of Representatives, and to have to come to a federal court to have a federal judge resolve this matter for the parties is just a little concerning. “I’m wondering if there is any possibility that counsel could continue to meet and confer and try to resolve this without court intervention,” she said. McCafferty said that while she is scheduling a hearing and taking the dispute seriously, “Clearly, it would be best if counsel could resolve with one another.” (Source: WMUR)

3. State Won’t Be Adopting New CDC School Guidelines. Both the New Hampshire Department of Education and the state health department say new federal recommendations on COVID-19 in schools will not change the state's own reopening guidelines. Last week, the CDC released updated data and recommendations to help schools decide when it's safe to reopen and what mitigation measures to focus on. In addition to continued social distancing and mask-wearing, the CDC recommends that schools not reopen fully if community transmission of COVID-19 remains high. That contradicts current recommendations from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, which says that in some scenarios, schools are safe to reopen fully or in a hybrid model, even with substantial community transmission of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, state officials said that the new CDC guidance "would place unnecessary barriers to in-person learning.” (Source: NHPR) The CDC guidelines can be found here. (Source: Centers for Disease Control) In a statement released Wednesday, State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan and Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said New Hampshire should stick with its own system. “The New Hampshire guidance and approach to in-school instruction has proven to be effective at allowing students across the state the in-person learning they need while limiting the spread of COVID-19 inside school facilities,” the statement said. “The CDC’s new educational phased mitigation guidance and suggested testing strategy would place unnecessary barriers to in-person learning.” (Source: InDepthNH)

4. NH Colleges and Universities Continue to Deal with COVID Crunch as State Undercounts Cases. Officials from Plymouth State University hosted a town hall for parents and students on Wednesday following the school’s announcement that it will switch to remote learning until March 1. The switch comes after the school’s coronavirus cases jumped from about 30 cases to 174 cases. (Source: WMUR) Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 positives on the Franklin Pierce University campus in Rindge has risen to 48. As of Friday, students on the campus entered a remote learning phase for at least 10 days, and were ordered to remain in their dorm rooms and not mingle. Source: Monadnock Ledger) The most serious outbreak at a New Hampshire college campus continues to be at the Durham campus of UNH where 472 students and staff have active cases of the virus. According the the school’s dashboard, 467 students with active cases are in quarantine and 645 who have been in close contact with one or more people who have tested positive are in isolation. (Source: UNH COVID DashBoard) Once again, there is a significant variance between case numbers being reported by the state on its COVID-19 Schools Dashboard and the colleges themselves. As of 9:45 a.m. Thursday morning, the DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard is reporting only 290 active cases at UNH, 19 at Franklin Pierce, and 14 at Plymouth State. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

5. Planning Begins on Next Stage of Vaccinations As Governor Advises People in Phase 1B with April Appointments to ‘Pick Up Your Phone’. New Hampshire officials are preparing for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations while they work to streamline the current phase. Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday that the vaccine supply needs to keep increasing for the state to transition to Phase 2A, which would start with registration for teachers and child care workers. "We won't make any firm decisions about how that's going to roll out," Sununu said. "We're talking about it now, but we won't make anything public for a couple more weeks, a few more weeks." The state is still trying to expedite the first-dose appointments for Granite Staters in Phase 1B. Many of them have qualifying medical conditions and are eager to move up. "I tell folks to pick up your phone if you have an appointment scheduled in April," Sununu said. "Pick up your phone, because we're likely calling to move you up."(Source: WMUR) Meanwhile, New Hampshire continues to use the trouble-prone VAMS system for initial vaccine appointment scheduling. On Feb. 3, Gov. Sununu said the state plans to discontinue use of the federal system and replace it with a state-run system before the next phase of vaccinations begins.

6. Massachusetts Launches New COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Site. Following complaints about its vaccine appointment scheduling website, Massachusetts announced that it is launching a new vaccine finder website on Friday. The new tool — vaxfinder.mass.gov — is now live, and state health officials said it will make booking vaccine appointments much easier. It shows vaccine sites and appointment availability all on one page, or you can search by city or town. It is not a centralized booking system. Massachusetts residents will still have to click through to the main vaccination site and book an appointment on the individual portals. (Source: NECN)

7. NH Hospitals Deal with People Trying to Jump Line for COVID-19 Vaccinations. Officials at a New Hampshire hospital say some people have been trying to trick the system and claim they have COVID-19 vaccination appointments in an attempt to jump the line. Officials at Memorial Hospital in North Conway said they have been in touch with the state and have heard that similar problems are happening across New Hampshire. Will Owen, Memorial’s emergency management coordinator said the stories usually have a common theme as people try to get vaccinated without an appointment. "I find sometimes when you just ask a few more questions, their story changes," he said. Another issue for some vaccination sites is that people are hanging around hoping that if there's leftover vaccine, they'll be chosen to get it. But Owen said that won’t happen because Memorial Hospital has a strict protocol in place for leftover doses. The hospital reaches out first to people who have already registered or are eligible and can get to the vaccination site quickly. (Source: WMUR)

8. New Bill Pushes State to Help Children Facing Mental Health Crisis. A bipartisan bill heard by the State Senate Wednesday seeks to quickly implement changes to child mental health services as the number of people on the waitlist for inpatient psychiatric beds reaches startling peaks. Mental health advocates have argued the Department of Health and Human Services has been too slow to act on a new law passed in 2019 that was proposed to rectify the state’s 10-year mental health plan. The law spelled out 12 provisions to improve New Hampshire’s psychiatric system for children and to reduce or eliminate time spent in emergency rooms waiting for beds to open up. Most notably, it allocated funding for mobile crisis teams, a 24/7 hour service that dispatches a clinician and a “peer support specialist” – someone recovering from their own mental illness – to the child in need. The new bill would extend the funding to give the state more time to implement the mental health programs as well as fund positions that would help alleviate the administrative burden of enacting these new policies. Sen. Becky Whitley, the primary sponsor of the new bill and co-author of the original legislation, has been a vocal critic of the state’s handling of the boarding crisis. “This is not a lack of funding issue,” she said in October. “We have a solution here. Where is it?” Nathan White, the Director Bureau of Contracts & Procurement, said initiating new programs has been stalled partly due to the pandemic, which requires staff to focus on the state’s vaccination and testing efforts. “Our work load has essentially doubled,” he said. “My team has not taken any vacations, they all seem to work overtime and sometimes on the weekends. It’s been a delicate balance between finding the appropriate time to devote to the ongoing projects.” (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 17, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Wednesday, February 17

As of Tuesday, New Hampshire’s COVID-19 Schools Dashboard showed 135 active cases in New Hampshire schools. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported one additional death and 258 new positive test results. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Wednesday.

1. NH COVID Numbers Continue to Decline. New figures released by New Hampshire health officials Tuesday show the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state continue to decline. Officials said there are 2,857 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, the lowest since Nov. 13. Hospitalizations declined to 119, the lowest since Nov. 22. One more Granite Stater has died of COVID-19, a Strafford County man age 60 or older. Health officials said the man was not associated with a long-term care facility. There have been 1,136 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the state. The state said there were 258 new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. (Sources: WMUR and N.H. DHHS)

2. Plymouth State University Implements New Restrictions After Dramatic Increase in COVID-19 Cases. Officials from Plymouth State University announced new restrictions regarding campus activities and classes on Tuesday after a dramatic increase in students testing positive for COVID-19. Officials said the restrictions take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The school will be moving all classes online and canceling all athletic events. Other on-campus events have also been canceled. (Source: WMUR) Meanwhile, an outbreak at the University of New Hampshire’s Durham campus is getting worse despite restrictions implemented by University officials. The number of active cases rose to 402 on Tuesday. More than 1,000 students are now in isolation or quarantine, about 150 of those on campus and the rest off-campus. (Source: WMUR)

3. UK Variant of COVID-19 Confirmed in York County, Maine. A case of the COVID-19 variant that was first discovered in the UK has been detected in York County, officials said Tuesday. This marks the second known case in Maine of the COVID variant known as B.1.1.7, which had already been detected in 34 other states, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The first Mainer to test positive for the variant is a Franklin County resident with a history of recent international travel. The second is a York County resident with a history of recent domestic travel, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said. "Because we are actively looking for these cases, we expect to find more and more individual cases of not just this variant but potentially other such variants as we go forward," Shah said Tuesday. (Source: Seacoast Online)

4. Infectious Disease Experts Cautiously Eye COVID-19 Variant Found in NH. While last week’s announcement of the state’s first known case of a COVID-19 variant wasn’t surprising, it shouldn’t be taken lightly, says a local infectious-disease expert. “I do not think that we should let this one go as if this is something routine. We should be concerned,” said Dr. Aalok Khole, an infectious-disease physician at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene. The B.1.1.7 variant — a mutation in the COVID-19 genome, which was first detected in the United Kingdom — is thought to be more contagious, Khole explained, which could increase the risk of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The B.1.1.7 variant has been detected in about 40 states, including Maine and Massachusetts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while this is its first diagnosed case in New Hampshire, Khole said there could be others that have yet to be reported. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

5. House Bill Would Fill Gaps in State’s COVID-19 Dashboard. New Hampshire public health officials defended the performance of the state’s online COVID-19 dashboard at a public hearing on Tuesday. The House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs committee heard testimony on HB 492, which would require the Department of Heath and Human Services to make daily updates. The dashboard was criticized by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kristine Schultz, D-Concord who cited delays in updating COVID data for schools that sometimes take place days after media reports of new cases or clusters in schools. Patricia Tilley, Dep. Dir. of the N.H. Division of Public Health Services said the site is updated daily, but that sometimes there are lags in the state receiving information on cases. Tilley said the website is aligned with current best practices “with some exceptions”. Portsmouth Rep. David Meuse said that whether the site is improved under the bill or by DHHS on its own, there are important gaps in the dashboard that should be closed. Meuse said information on key metrics for long-term care facilities and vaccinations remains scattered and fragmented, making it difficult for people who aren’t health care experts to track progress. While he said that “the horse may have already left the barn” when it comes to creating a separate tab to track the impact of the virus in nursing homes and other congregate living facilities, improving the quality of information on vaccination progress in a way that tracks progress in key groups should be a top priority. Tilley said a key challenge for the state in providing more detailed information about vaccination progress is protecting the privacy of individuals, especially in smaller communities where it may be possible to identify individuals who have been vaccinated based solely on racial and other demographic data. The Committee took no immediate action on the bill, which would also establish a committee to study health disparities experienced by under-represented populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: Personal Notes)

6. Dems Sue Packard To Hold Remote House Sessions Due To COVID. Seven Democratic members of the NH House and the state Democratic Party have filed a lawsuit to require Republican Speaker Sherman Packard to provide a remote option for House sessions to legislators with medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The seven Democrats – including House Minority Leader Renny Cushing who is being treated for stage 4 pancreatic cancer – say they otherwise risk serious illness or death because of COVID-19 and “reckless behavior” on the part of the Republican members. “Each Individual Plaintiff suffers from one or more medical conditions and disabilities that render them extremely vulnerable to a potentially deadly infection from the COVID-19 virus such that in-person attendance at sessions of the House is impossible without subjecting them to extreme pain and suffering, as well as a serious threat to their health and their lives,” the lawsuit alleges. The Democrats sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act and filed an emergency restraining order. The next House sessions are scheduled for Feb. 24 and 25 at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford. Packard said in an email that he and his legal team are reviewing the complaint but insisted all House members will be safe. Source: InDepthNH)

7. Moderna Says Supply Chain Issue Resolved, Plans to Increase Vaccine Production. Vaccine manufacturer Moderna said Tuesday it has resolved a supply chain disruption that was delaying production of its vaccine. Moderna officials said a contractor was experiencing delays, hampering its vaccine production. The company said it will make up for lost time by bumping up shipments of 100 million doses by a month, to the end of May, with another 100 million doses delivered to states by the end of July, two months faster than predicted. (Source: WMUR)

8. Mass. Launches COVID Vaccine Outreach Program in 20 Hard-Hit Communities. Some of the Massachusetts communities that have felt the heaviest impact from the COVID-19 pandemic will be targeted by a new outreach program for vaccine awareness and access. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration announced an initiative Tuesday to help the 20 cities and towns most disproportionately affected by coronavirus. The Department of Public Health will work with local leaders and others in the communities to help overcome barriers to get residents vaccinated. The communities include Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield and Worcester. (Source: NECN)

9. Vaccine Delays Leave Grocery Workers Feeling Expendable. As panicked Americans cleared supermarkets of toilet paper and food last spring, grocery employees gained recognition as among the most indispensable of the pandemic’s front-line workers. A year later, most of those workers are waiting their turn to receive COVID-19 vaccines, with little clarity about when that might happen. A decentralized vaccine campaign has resulted in a patchwork of policies that differ from state to state, and even county to county in some areas, resulting in an inconsistent rollout to low-paid essential workers who are exposed to hundreds of customers each day. (Source: Concord Monitor) New Hampshire is among several states that have decided to leave grocery and other essential workers out of the second phase of its vaccination effort, instead prioritizing adults over 65 and people with two or more chronic medical conditions.

10. Inmates Say Strafford County Jail Mishandled COVID-19 Outbreak. New Hampshire health officials declared the Strafford County House of Corrections’ COVID-19 outbreak over on Tuesday, roughly two months and 148 positive cases after the outbreak began. The good news doesn’t mean the jail will fully let its guard down, though, according to Superintendent Chris Brackett — especially not when 18 people held at the jail recently submitted a joint letter outlining concerns about the way in which the facility has handled the outbreak. “We’re taking this exceptionally seriously,” Brackett said of both his facility’s approach to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how his facility is treating the concerns outlined in the letter. “My job would be much, much easier if I didn’t have to contend with COVID, and so anything I can do to keep COVID out of the facility is stuff we’re going to explore.” Allegations cited in the letter include: correctional officers not properly wearing masks; lax mask requirements and isolation protocols for inmates; correctional officers and medical staff potentially cross-contaminating housing units because they weren’t regularly changing their personal protective equipment; limited access to and supply of hand sanitizer and other sanitation supplies for people in custody; an inability to socially distance in communal housing units used for ICE detainees; and more. (Source: Seacoast Online)

11. What You Need to Know About School Budgets in N.H. During the Pandemic. Aside from the perennial tensions over rising education costs and high property tax rates, many districts are facing a dip in enrollment related to COVID-19 that could cost them millions of dollars in state aid. Add to that a big infusion of COVID-19 federal relief aid, and it gets pretty complicated. During the pandemic, public school enrollment dropped significantly in many districts, as some parents decided to homeschool their children or send them to in-person classes at private schools. In addition, a change in the federal free and reduced price lunch program during the pandemic has made it difficult for districts to measure poverty levels and therefore, state aid. If New Hampshire calculated next year’s state adequacy aid to schools based on this year’s aberrant enrollment and poverty numbers, districts would lose out on millions of dollars. Popular bills in the State House could offer a quick fix, by basing most districts’ state aid on their enrollment and poverty numbers from 2019, rather than 2020. New Hampshire schools have also been allocated over $240 million in federal aid. But so far, there have been strict rules about the federal relief money going to "supplement" services at a district, rather than "supplant" existing ones. That means that if a town is facing a revenue shortfall and potential cuts to staff or programs, it shouldn’t rely on federal pandemic aid to fill in those gaps. Instead, the relief aid should cover services that address the impact of COVID-19. School leaders are also eyeing the $1.9 trillion relief package put forth by the Biden administration. If signed into law, it could send an unprecedented amount of federal money to New Hampshire schools. But it’s not clear what strings will be attached to these funds. With towns just weeks away from voting on next year’s school budget, school districts can’t bet on this quite yet. (Source: NHPR)

12. High School Sports Tournaments with COVID-Restrictions to Begin Across the State. Health- and safety-based changes for the high school tournament season include limited fans at venues, basketball playoffs organized by location instead of record, swimming championships happening one team at a time and, of course, competitors in masks. High school basketball playoffs for all four divisions are scheduled to begin March 1 for boys and March 2 for girls. All players will be required to wear a mask, as will competitors in wrestling tournaments. The NHIAA recommends that schools allow only two fans per player to the basketball game, but acknowledges that any stricter rules at individual schools take precedent. High school hockey tournaments are slated to start on March 2 for girls and March 3 for boys. The swimming championships will be held on Saturday for D-I schools and Sunday for D-II schools at The Workout Club in Salem, but only one team will be in the pool at a time. (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 16, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Tuesday, February 16

The number of new cases in the 20-29 age group has been significantly higher over the past seven days. With 19.2% of all coronavirus cases in New Hampshire, this group has had more cases than any other group. But it has made up only 2.2% of the state’s hospitalizations and 0.1% of the state’s death count. (Source: N.H. DHHS

On Monday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced two additional deaths and 258 new positive tests for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Tuesday.

1. State Reschedules Vaccinations Because of Storm. New Hampshire’s state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites and testing clinics will be closed today because of a storm that was expected to begin as snow Monday night before changing to sleet and freezing rain. State officials were reaching out by phone Monday to reschedule everyone for appointments later in the week. Information on vaccine scheduling in New Hampshire is available at vaccines.nh.gov and by calling 2-1-1. (Source: Seacoast Online)

2. Number of Active COVID-19 Cases Drop to Pre-Thanksgiving Levels. For the first time since mid-November, the state's daily number of active COVID-19 cases is below 3,000, officials announced Monday. The current case count is at 2,953, which is the lowest level since Nov. 12, when the active number was at 2,743. The state also announced 258 new positive test results for COVID-19, including thirty-two patients under the age of 18. According to the state, two more Granite Staters have died from the coronavirus and 125 remain hospitalized. (Source: N.H. DHHS) According to the state's COVID-19 dashboard, people ages 20-29 had the highest number of cases in the past seven days, significantly more than any other group. (Source: WMUR)

3. COVID Tracker: Plenty to Celebrate and to be Worried About. In its weekly analysis of New Hampshire COVID-19 metrics, the Concord Monitor says that while recent falls in new cases and hospitalizations are welcome news, they remain at levels that are cause for concern. While lower than peaks in December and January, the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and daily deaths are at least two times higher than they were at the peak of last spring’s surge. A more-contagious variant of COVID-19 has been detected in the state and other variants may be here without having been spotted, since we’re not looking very hard. New Hampshire has only been allocated enough vaccine to inoculate 1 out of every 5 people in Phase 1-B (over age 64). The other three-quarters of New Hampshire’s population is just waiting. This explains why Southern New Hampshire’s vaccination sites are booked sold through April and haven’t even begun scheduling appointments for May. On the brighter side, deaths have finally started to fall and other key metrics, such as the percentage of people testing positive, are also trending downwards with no Super Bowl surge yet in evidence. So whether you’re pumping your fist or wringing your hands right now is mostly a matter of choice. But either way, you need to keep wearing your mask and avoiding indoor crowds for a while longer. (Source: Concord Monitor)

4. NH House Democrats Ask Federal Court to Force GOP Speaker to Provide Remote Access to Sessions. New Hampshire House Democrats are asking a federal judge to require that Republican House Speaker Sherman Packard allow legislators who are especially vulnerable to serious illness or death from COVID-19 to attend next week’s two-day House session remotely. WMUR obtained the court documents, which will be made public widely later Tuesday morning at the U.S. District Court in Concord. The lawsuit is seeking expedited, emergency action ahead of the in-person session scheduled next week for Feb. 24 and 25. Rep. Renny Cushing of Hampton, the House Democratic Leader, is joined by six other plaintiff legislators in charging that Packard would be violating the federal Americans with Disability Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and provision of the U.S. and state constitutions if he continues to require that all House members attend the session meetings in person and not make “reasonable accommodations” for the vulnerable members. Packard has promised that the meetings will be safely held at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford, a 50,000-square-foot facility that is more than twice the size of the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center, where the House met last June. (Source: WMUR) Note: public hearings are now being conducted in a “hybrid” setting, with members of the public and some legislative committee members participating via Zoom and other committee members attending in-person in the Legislative Office Building in Concord.

5. After Brutal Two Months, N.H. Health Care Workers See Light on Horizon. Fueled by holiday gatherings, and a continued reluctance by some to follow public health guidelines, more than 530 residents died in December and January alone, nearly half of the total COVID-19 related deaths recorded in the state since the pandemic began. On any given day through most of December and January, New Hampshire hospitals were treating between 200 and 300 people for COVID-19 — far more than were reported during any earlier wave of the pandemic, according to the available data. While new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have leveled off in recent days, many New Hampshire hospitals are still grappling with the stress and deep sense of loss that came during the pandemic’s darkest days. “COVID is different,” said Dr. Dawn Barclay of Portsmouth Regional Hospital. “You see young healthy people really with little to no comorbidities who...come in with a thromboembolic complication. What that means is they have blood clots, and it takes their life. Bam. Gone.”Along with mental and physical burnout, there’s also the ongoing financial challenge facing New Hampshire hospitals. COVID-19 forced the cancellation or delay of non-essential procedures, including lucrative surgeries such as hip and knee replacements that both large and small hospitals rely on to balance their books. The New Hampshire Hospital Association puts losses at more than $250 million in 2020. Along with keeping more people on the job, the vaccine is also a mental lift for health care workers, many of whom have now received both doses. “The vaccination is sort of our ray of sunshine, our hope that the tables are going to turn in our favor,” said Barclay. (Source: NHPR)

6. Information About COVID-19 Vaccines Slow to Reach NH Immigrant and Refugee Communities. Granite Staters whose first language is not English have had difficulty finding information about how to sign up for their COVID-19 vaccines. Leaders in immigrant and refugee communities around the state said information about how to get the vaccine has slowly trickled into their communities — mirroring a dearth of information about the coronavirus when the pandemic first hit New Hampshire. Trinidad Tellez, a Manchester physician and public health advocate, said the state Department of Health and Human Services has translated critical information into eight languages, plus sign language. The disconnect, Tellez said, is delivering the information to communities. Not everyone knows to look on a state or city website. Tellez helped start a vaccine-focused Facebook page called the Lighthouse NH for Black and Latino Granite Staters, which has information in Spanish. Tellez also has posted videos on that Facebook page and with other groups for Spanish-speaking people in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, longtime Manchester community organizer Eva Castillo said public health workers are doing their best, but they’re stretched thin. “With the pandemic, it’s even harder to reach out to people, but we have to do what we have to do,” said Castillo. She and other outreach volunteers from groups like the Granite State Organizing Project are trying to meet people in bodegas and barbershops around Manchester. (Source: Union Leader)

7. Vermont EMS Workers Scramble to Vaccinate Vulnerable Residents. Vermont has rolled out COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers, nursing home staff and residents, and now, those age 75 and older. But offering doses to those who can’t get to a hospital or vaccine distribution center has been a daunting operational lift. The state doesn’t have a comprehensive list of every homebound Vermonter. Officials must contact patients, schedule the appointments and administer the doses, taking into account the short shelf life and temperature requirements for the vaccine and the maze of remote, snowy roads they must navigate. The Vermont Department of Health has tapped seven of the state’s EMS departments to help. The emergency responders are working with visiting nursing associations that provide home nursing or hospice care. Five staff members at one ambulance company worked through the weekend, calling, scheduling appointments, and driving to homes. They received an overwhelmingly warm welcome. “I don’t think I’ve ever been with a group of people who have been so relieved,” said AmCare CEO Janet McCarthy. (Source: The Valley News)

8. Rye Police Alert Residents of COVID-19 Phone Scam. Following a phone scammer’s attempt to trick a Rye resident into paying $50 for a fake COVID-19 vaccination, town Police Chief Kevin Walsh is urging everyone to be wary of similar fraudsters. As concern over the timeliness of receiving coronavirus shots mounts for many, Walsh said, “It’s sad that we have a medical pandemic and we’re concerned about how we should live our lives and there are people out there trying to take advantage of others.” Walsh reiterated nobody should be paying for any COVID-19 vaccination. All related information given over the phone that seems fishy, he added, should be verified to avoid any mishaps or fraud. New Hampshire's information on vaccine appointments and who is eligible is available at vaccines.nh.gov. “If it’s too good to be true, dial 2-1-1 to verify,” he said of the state’s COVID-19 hotline. (Source: Seacoast Online)

9. Churches Prepare for Pandemic-Altered Ash Wednesday. COVID has prompted area churches to change the tradition of smudging ashes on congregants' foreheads that marks the beginning of the Christian observance of Lent. "This year what we’re doing a little bit differently ties back to what other countries in Europe already do," F. Alan Tremblay said. "... What they actually do in a lot of countries is take a little bit of the ashes and sprinkle them on their heads, instead of drawing the cross on their foreheads." This change within the Catholic Church, one of a handful of Christian denominations that observe Ash Wednesday, came straight from the Vatican, Tremblay said. While area Catholic churches will celebrate Mass on Wednesday the same way they have since churches were allowed to reopen in June, others that celebrate Ash Wednesday, like the United Church of Christ in Keene, have not held in-person services since last March. So, the church is preparing about 75 small plastic containers of ashes that will be available Wednesday on tables outside the front and rear doors, according to the Rev. Cynthia Bagley, the church's senior minister. Anyone can take a container, along with an information sheet on the significance of Ash Wednesday and administer the ashes to themselves. Still other churches are planning drive-through distribution of ashes. (Source: Keene Sentinel)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 15, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Monday, February 15

(Source: N.H. DHHS)

On Sunday, New Hampshire public health officials announced three additional deaths and 292 new positive tests for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Monday.

1. As NH and US Cases and Hospitalizations Decline, CDC Director Cautions: “We Are Nowhere Out of the Woods.” Three more New Hampshire residents have died from COVID-19, state health officials announced Sunday. One of the deaths was linked to long-term care facilities, and all three people were 60 or older. The statewide coronavirus death toll now stands at 1,133 deaths. The state also announced 292 new COVID-19 cases and 3,365 total active cases statewide. 126 people were hospitalized on Sunday with the virus. (Source: N.H. DHHS) While 126 hospitalizations may seem like a small number in comparison to the 300+ numbers New Hampshire was seeing a month ago, it should be noted that 126 hospitalizations is exactly the same number of hospitalizations the state saw during the first wave of the virus last spring when hospitalizations hit their high water mark on May 13. (Source: NHPR COVID Tracker) Even though new cases have fallen off in New Hampshire and the daily average of new coronavirus cases in the United States has dipped below 100,000 for the first time in months, experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. At a national level, the seven-day rolling average of new infections was well above 200,000 for much of December and went to roughly 250,000 in January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. “The cases are more than two-and-a-half-fold times what we saw over the summer,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s encouraging to see these trends coming down, but they’re coming down from an extraordinarily high place.” (Source: Associated Press) In response to lower case numbers, governors in Montana and Iowa have lifted statewide mask-wearing requirements this month. North Dakota's mask mandate was allowed to expire in January. But Walensky said it's too early for states to lift mask-wearing mandates given the high number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. "We still have 100,000 cases a day. We still have somewhere between 1,500 and 3,500 deaths per day. And yet we see some communities relaxing some of their mitigation strategies. We are nowhere out of the woods." (Source: NECN)

2. 19 More Cases of UK COVID Variant Detected in Mass. Nineteen more cases of the highly contagious United Kingdom variant of COVID-19 have been detected in Massachusetts, bringing the total number of known cases infected with this strain in the commonwealth to 29, state health officials announced Sunday. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, only four of the total 29 cases have evidence of recent travel, suggesting that the majority of cases identified in the Bay State are community-acquired. State health officials are urging residents to take continued protective measures to prevent the spread of COVID, which is the best defense against a rapid rise in cases from variants. (Source: NECN) Last week, the first case involving a COVID variant was detected in New Hampshire.

3. Hundreds of Veterans Vaccinated at Manchester VA COVID-19 Clinic. About 575 veterans were immunized Sunday at a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Manchester VA Medical Center. The line was long and formed early, but one veteran told a Union Leader photographer it moved “better than DisneyWorld.” VA facilities around the country got 200,000 extra doses of the Moderna vaccine last week and spokeswoman Kristin Pressley said Sunday that more vaccine is expected to arrive this week and the VA will be scheduling veterans 65 and over for shots. Veterans who get care through the VA can call for appointments at 1-800-892-8384, ext. 3199. (Source: Union Leader)

4. Is There a COVID Vaccine Backlog for People With Underlying Conditions? Under New Hampshire’s rollout plan, people with existing conditions are eligible for the vaccine right now but cannot access appointments independently. They need their doctors to do it for them. But until they receive a notice from the state that allows them to schedule their appointment, they are left not knowing whether their doctor has followed through. Franklin resident Nancy LeVinus said she’s waited four weeks and heard nothing from the state about a vaccination for her husband, who has several underlying medical conditions. “I feel like a large cohort of people have been put into a situation that they can’t control,” LeVinus said. In response, Perry Plummer, the head of the state’s vaccine rollout team, said admits the process has been especially difficult for those with underlying conditions, but he says his team is reaching out and fixing the problem. After being contacted about LeVinus’s case, Plummer called her to straighten out the situation for her husband. He says if anyone else who is eligible in Phase 1b has not been able to make an appointment yet, should call 211, or email covidvaccinescheduling@dhhs.nh.gov. (Source: NECN)

5. Nashua Schools Welcome Some Students Back to the Classroom for First Time In Nearly a Year. Today the Nashua School District is set to initiate a hybrid learning model, allowing some students to return to in-person classes for the first time since March of 2020. Interim Superintendent Garth McKinney said some preschool, kindergarten and first-grade students have had in-person classes, along with special education students and career and technical students. But for most kids at the middle and high school levels, this will be the first time back at school. McKinney is hoping to continue hybrid classes that mix in-classroom days with remote days throughout the school year. But McKinney said there is always a chance schools may need to switch back to remote learning. “Some of our staffing challenges we’re facing may make us rely on remote at times, when people are quarantining, getting testing or show symptoms,” McKinney said. “But I’m hoping the numbers are certainly going in the right direction and I hope that we can continue and just make things happen for our kids, which is the best part.” (Source: WMUR)

6. Renters in Line for More COVID Relief. Can New Hampshire spend $200 million in federal money to keep people in their homes when it wasn’t able to spend $20 million last year for the same purpose?That’s the question being asked by state officials, housing activists, tenants and landlords while they wait – after the state’s Housing Relief Program ended on Dec. 18 – for the new federal Emergency Rental Assistance program to begin. “The need is there, and it could be an enormous benefit,” said attorney Elliot Berry, director of New Hampshire Legal Assistance’s Housing Project. “But at the end of the day, they are not likely to spend all of $200 million.” The two programs are different. The state’s Housing Relief Fund, created with money the state received through the CARES Act, covered back rent and utility and mortgage payments for those who faced a loss of income or greater expenses due to COVID-19. The new federal $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance, or ERA, program covers rent and utilities, not mortgage payments, and it includes income requirements, though generous ones. Eligible are people who earn 80% or less of the median income, though priority goes to those under 50%. The ERA can pay up to a year of rent going forward. And it will allow a landlord to apply for assistance on behalf of a tenant. While $200 million seems like a large number, there are about 154,000 renter households in the state paying a median rent of $1,413 for a two-bedroom apartment. Do the math and you have roughly $2.6 billion in rent being paid every year. Suddenly that $200 million figure doesn’t seem that big. For now, renters, landlords, and the state share one thing in common—all are still in the dark when it comes to federal rules surrounding the distribution of the money. (Source: Concord Monitor)

7. Sign of the Pandemic Times: Increase in Calls to 24-Hour Gambling Helpline. New Hampshire lottery sales, particularly from online games, are surging during the pandemic, and with that increase comes a jump in another statistic — the number of problem gamblers who seek assistance for a disorder that can destroy lives. The National Council on Problem Gambling received 443 calls to its 24-hour helpline (800-522-4700) from New Hampshire last year, compared to 337 in 2019. That’s an increase of 24 percent. Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said there are valid concerns that the pandemic is worsening the problem of compulsive gambling. “Social isolation, job loss, stress, depression — these are all known risk factors for gambling problems,” Whyte said. In the current fiscal year, which began last July, New Hampshire’s Internet Lottery sales were up 167.5 percent compared to the same time period last year, while overall sales were up 27 percent, said Maura McCann, director of marketing for the lottery. Ed Talbot, the executive director of the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling, estimates there are about 8,000 compulsive gamblers in New Hampshire. Since the pandemic, he’s seen more people reaching out for help: calls to the helpline run by the New Hampshire Council rose 25 percent in 2020, totaling 50 people. In January alone, 7 people called the hotline. He estimates that for every problem gambler who calls, the helpline gets two calls from friends and family of problem gamblers. (Source: Manchester Ink Link)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 14, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Sunday, February 14

The University of New Hampshire’s COVID-19 dashboard shows the impact of a recent spike in cases that has forced the campus into remote instruction and limited gatherings to no more than six people. (Source: UNH)

On Saturday, New Hampshire public health officials announced five additional deaths and 441 new positive test results for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Sunday.

1. Five Additional Deaths as Hospitalizations and New Cases Inch Down—Except in Durham. Five more New Hampshire residents have died from COVID-19, state health officials announced Saturday. Two of the deaths are linked to long-term care facilities, and all five people were 60 or older. The statewide death toll is now 1,130. The state on Saturday also announced 441 new COVID-19 cases. The new cases bring the total number of cases over the course of the pandemic up to 70,505. Of that number, 3,253 cases are listed as current, but the 7-day daily average of new cases has declined 3%. There are currently 128 people hospitalized in New Hampshire for the coronavirus. (Source: N.H. DHHS) With 49 active cases, the number of people with COVID continues to fall in Portsmouth. Five communities currently have more than 100 cases, including Manchester (350), Durham (300), and Nashua (241), Salem (115) and Derry (101). Durham, home to the main campus of the University of New Hampshire, is trending in the wrong direction. As recently as January 29, Durham was reporting only 45 cases. But new cases have soared as students have returned to campus. As of Friday, UNH’s own COVID-19 dashboard was reporting 270 active cases among students, faculty and staff. (Source: University of New Hampshire)

2. ‘Our Pause': COVID Spike at UNH Moves Classes Online. Two weeks after the start of the spring semester, there is a serious spike in coronavirus cases at the University of New Hampshire. During the pandemic, the school has been operating at alert levels of yellow, orange or red. With this most recent spike in cases, UNH is now in the orange level, which means students are taking their classes online, can’t gather in groups larger than six, and they can’t visit any other dorms. UNH Police Chief and Vice President of UNH Public Safety and Risk Management Paul Dean said said the high number of active cases at the university are likely the result of community spread and not a single event. “I don’t think it’s one specific thing right now. We can’t point it to one specific thing,” he explained. (Source: NECN) Rising COVID-19 numbers at UNH have put a tremendous amount of stress on both Adams Tower West and Babcock Hall, the dorms that are being utilized to house both positive and contact-traced students. Due to the limited space in Babcock Hall, the university is no longer giving off-campus students the opportunity to quarantine there. These students will have to either have to quarantine at their current residence, or they can go home if they have an alternative permanent place of residence. (Source: The New Hampshire)

3. Nashua Works to Vaccinate Populations Heavily Impacted by COVID. The Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services started vaccinating on Friday those who qualify as disproportionately affected by COVID-19. New Hampshire has set aside 10% of its vaccine allocation for these communities, which include racial minorities and residents of low income areas. Nashua Public Health and Community Services Director Bobbie Bagley said these populations may have a more difficult time getting vaccinated or are more impacted by the disease than others. Bailey said the goal "is to make sure, again, no one is left without the opportunity of having access to vaccinations in our state." (Source: WMUR) Data collected by the state shows how minorities in New Hampshire as a whole have been disproportionately affected by COVID. For example, a quick look at the most recent Case Summary on the state’s dashboard reveals the state’s Hispanic residents, who make up 3.9% of N.H.’s population, account for 9.1% of all cases and 9.4% of hospitalizations. While these numbers already seem high, it’s important to note they could be even higher. According to a note at the bottom of the Case Summary page, race/ethnicity data is known for only 61.0% of COVID-19 infections, 93.2% of hospitalizations, and 81.1% of deaths. (Source: N.H. DHHS) At a national level, Black and Hispanic Americans are 3.7 times and 4.1 times more likely be hospitalized from Covid than White Americans, according to data reported by the CDC in late November. Both of the minority groups are 2.8 times more likely than White Americans to die from the disease. (Source: CDC)

4. Lack of Covid Data on People with Intellectual Disabilities ‘Comes With a Body Count’. Early studies have shown that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a higher likelihood of dying from the virus than those without disabilities, likely because of a higher prevalence of preexisting conditions. While some high-profile outbreaks made the news, a lack of federal tracking means the population remains largely overlooked amid the pandemic. No one knows how many of the estimated 300,000 people who live in such facilities nationwide have caught covid or died as a result. That creates a blind spot in understanding the impact of the virus. And because data drives access to scarce covid vaccines, those with disabilities could be at a disadvantage for getting prioritized for the shots to keep them safe. The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities has repeatedly asked federal agencies to hold facilities where people with disabilities live to the same pandemic rules as nursing homes, which must report covid cases directly to national agencies. Nicole Jorwic, senior director of public policy with The Arc of the United States, a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities, said a spotlight on nursing homes makes sense. Those homes have seen more than 121,000 deaths due to the pandemic. But it’s unclear what the toll is at the facilities focused on those with disabilities. “How do we know how big the problem is if we’re not capturing it?” she asked. Greg Myers, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services press officer, said in an email that states, not federal officials, manage Medicaid-funded intermediate care facilities and group homes for people with developmental disabilities. Some states are tracking the caseloads, though Nicole Jorwic, senior director of public policy with The Arc of the United States, a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities, said the type of information that states collect varies. New York state data revealed disability group home residents there are dying at higher rates than the general population. In Illinois — which called on the National Guard to respond to outbreaks in two of the state’s largest developmental centers in April — more than half of the 1,648 residents in state-run developmental facilities have had the virus. Still, cases are flying under the radar. When The Associated Press did a national survey in June of how many people in such housing have fallen sick or died of covid, about a dozen states didn’t respond or release comprehensive data. “The delay or complete lack of access to this data comes with a body count,” Jorwic said. “You’re not acknowledging that these settings are just as dangerous as other settings, like nursing homes.” (Source: Kaiser Health News) New Hampshire does not publish data showing how residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities may or may not have been disproportionately impacted by the virus. However, residents of facilities with developmental or intellectual disabilities are eligible for vaccinations as part of Phase 1B, which is now in progress. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

5. Pandemic Shortages Mean Upper Valley Farmers Have a Need — A Need for Seeds. Seed suppliers are warning of a second straight growing season where supply squeezes are causing delays in shipments and shortages of popular varieties. Farmers are reporting that they are ordering their winter shipments from seed companies weeks or months earlier than usual to ensure delivery in time for seeding in greenhouses in March. “I had all my orders for seeds in before Christmas. Normally I’d be looking at mid-January. I had a hunch things could get tight this year,” said Taylor Henry, who oversees the cultivation of more than 20 acres of crops as production manager at Cedar Circle Farm in East Thetford. “Even some varieties of tomatoes are in short supply.” Farmers say navigating the supply of seeds is just another curveball thrown by the yearlong COVID-19 pandemic, which has also forced many to adjust how they get produce into customers’ hands, from changes to farmer’s markets to adding online ordering platforms. The delays are “not so much because there is a lack of seeds as much as we don’t have the physical capacity to process all the orders coming,” said Nikos Kavanya, a purchaser at seed co-op Fedco Seeds. “Demand went through the roof last spring and then went up exponentially in the fall. Everything bottlenecks because there are too many orders coming in.” (Source: The Valley News)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 13, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Saturday, February 13

The percentage of New Hampshire residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine now stands just shy of 10%. (Source: Bloomberg News)

On Friday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced nine additional deaths and 464 new positive test results for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Saturday.

1. First Case Of COVID Variant From United Kingdom Confirmed In N.H. State health officials announced Friday that a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 has been detected in New Hampshire for the first time. According to a press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services, a Hillsborough County resident recently in close contact with someone who traveled internationally has tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the UK variant. “While this person did not travel, this detection of the variant virus is associated with international travel for this reason. Contact tracing has identified close household contacts, but no other community exposures have been identified,” the announcement said. According to the CDC, New Hampshire is the 39th state to identify the strain, which has also spread to more than 80 countries. Both Vermont and Maine confirmed their first recorded cases of the UK variant on Thursday. (Sources: NHPR and Concord Monitor)

2. Nine Additional Deaths as Cumulative NH Infections Top 70,000. All nine of the additional deaths included residents age 60 and over. 96.9% of the state’s 1,126 coronavirus deaths have now occurred in residents in this age group with 66.7% of the state’s death toll among residents age 80 and over. https://www.nh.gov/covid19/dashboard/case-summary.htm Health officials also confirmed 464 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in New Hampshire over the course of the pandemic up to 70,072. Active infections in the state now stand at 3,216. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

3. Colleges Make Changes to Try to Halt Spread of Virus. New Hampshire colleges and universities are making adjustments as they try to control the spread of COVID-19 on their campuses. At UNH, classes have shifted to remote instruction, required student testing has increased to twice a week, and students living on campus will not be able to visit other on-campus residence halls or apartments, and off-campus students aren't allowed in those buildings. Franklin Pierce University is also going remote for 10 days after 18 new positive COVID-19 cases in 24 hours. In the meantime, Keene State College is just about to start its spring semester Monday and is requiring PCT test results from all students before they return to campus. (Source: WMUR)

4. Some Long-Term Care Facilities Say Staff Lags Residents in Getting Vaccine. After almost three months of COVID-19 vaccination clinics, several area long-term care facilities are reporting that nearly all residents have been immunized. However, their employees are trailing behind, with about 60 to 80 percent getting shots. Of the Cheshire County-owned Maplewood Nursing Home staff who decided not to get vaccinated, most “truly said that they believed the vaccine was developed too quickly,” Kathryn Kindopp, the administrator of the Westmoreland facility, said in an email. That, she added, was “despite all of our educational materials that helped to show that the mRNA vaccines were developed with all the usual safety and time frames, with the exception of the 2 year monitoring, which in a pandemic is not practical.” Of Maplewood’s 206 employees, about 75 percent had gotten their first vaccine dose by January 25, and half had received their second. The rates are similar at Genesis Healthcare facilities in Keene, Winchester and Peterborough. Pheasant Wood Center in Peterborough has seen the highest vaccination rate among residents, but its staff rate is the lowest at 62 percent. While staff vaccination rates may seem low, the nursing homes that gave their numbers to The Sentinel are well above national statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, in the first full month of the vaccine program, the national median among more than 11,000 long-term care facilities was 37.5 percent of staff receiving the first dose. (Source: Keene Sentinel) Worth noting is that there is no law or regulation requiring nursing home staff to be vaccinated in New Hampshire or in any other state.

5. Just Short of 10% of NH Residents Have Now Received at Least One Dose: How Does NH Compare with Other States? As of Friday, 9.9% of New Hampshire residents have received at least one shot and 4.1% are fully vaccinated. According to updated numbers provided by the state, 284,025 doses have been received by the state since the vaccines first became available and 193,014 of them —or 68%—have found their way into arms. (Source: N.H. DHHS) These numbers put New Hampshire in the bottom half among states when it comes to measuring the efficiency of the vaccination process. (Source: New York Times Vaccination Tracker)

6. 34 NH Walgreens Will Have the COVID Vaccine, Here's What You Need to Know. New Hampshire health officials announced this week Walgreens will be administering vaccines in the state. The pharmacy's 34 stores will join the drive-up vaccination sites around the state, including the C&J Bus terminal in Dover and Exeter High School. A total of 3,400 doses are expected to arrive at Walgreens’ 34 locations in the state each week—a number that will likely increase as more supply becomes available. Currently, only individuals who are eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1A and 1B can make appointments. Phase 1A includes healthcare workers and first responders. Phase 1B includes all residents age 65 and older, plus people with certain health conditions. Appointments can be made through the state’s vaccination website (vaccines.nh.gov). According to a Walgreen’s corporate spokesman, steps are being taken to help customers who aren’t digitally savvy. If a customer needs to make or cancel an appointment, a pharmacy team member can do so on behalf of the customer. At the time of first dose vaccination, pharmacists also will recommend the patient schedule a second dose appointment. COVID-19 vaccinations are not currently available for walk-in patients. (Source: Seacoast Online)

7. Manchester VA to Hold Walk-In COVID Vaccine Clinic Sunday. The Manchester VA Medical Center has scheduled a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m., an experiment to see if a walk-in clinic gets doses out more quickly. Any veteran 65 or older who gets care at the Manchester VA is eligible to get a shot. The vaccine doses will be administered first come, first served, until the doses run out. Jennifer Winslow, the medical center’s nurse executive, said the Manchester VA decided to hold the Sunday walk-in clinic after getting a larger-than-usual shipment of vaccine this week. Veterans who wish to be vaccinated are asked to bring their VA identification cards. After they park, veterans can walk into the medical center to get in line for a vaccine. If doses at the walk-in clinic run out, veterans who get care through the VA and are over 65 can still call for appointments at 1-800-892-8384, extension 3199. (Source: Union Leader)

8. Nursing Agency Aims to Vaccinate Homebound Granite Staters. As states across the country rush to vaccinate seniors, a critical barrier remains—homebound elderly people who can’t drive or lack transportation. While a program run by Visiting Nurse Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire that arranges at-home shots is up-and-running in Vermont, VNH is finalizing a plan to bring the service across the border. The state of Vermont has contracted VNH and EMS providers like Rescue Inc. to deliver the vaccine. "Vermont really made an effort to recognize that this homebound population doesn't have the ability to get these external clinics," said VNH Director of External Relations and Service Excellence Hilary Davis. Davis said vaccine recipients have been grateful. "They've been living in fear and just really worried, and now they're much more at peace just knowing that this is available," Davis said. (Source: WMUR)

9. N.H. House Set To Meet In Person And Indoors, But Democrats Call Plan Risky. The 400-member New Hampshire House has found a new place to meet indoors later this month, but the Legislature's top Democrat is threatening legal action to allow lawmakers who don't want to meet in person due to COVID-19 the right to participate remotely. In a notice to colleagues Friday, House Speaker Sherman Packard said he continues to research ways for the House to meet remotely but has yet to find a solution that meets what he called the body's "unique needs." Packard has, however, found a place where he says the House can safely meet in person: the New Hampshire Sportsplex in Bedford. Packard said lawmakers there will have 50,000 square feet in which to maintain social distance - about twice what they had the last time the house met indoors, at UNH's Whittemore Center. In a letter to Packard this week, House Minority Leader Renny Cushing said requiring lawmakers to meet in person forces those with serious medical conditions to make a life or death choice that may also run afoul of the Americans With Disabilities Act. He said without accommodation, he could seek what his letter termed “appropriate legal relief.” (Source: NHPR)

10. CDC Offers Clearest Guidance Yet For Reopening Schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Friday its much-anticipated, updated guidance to help school leaders decide how to safely bring students back into classrooms, or keep them there. Rather than a political push to reopen schools, the update is a measured, data-driven effort to expand on old recommendations and advise school leaders on how to "layer" the most effective safety precautions: masking, physical distancing, hand-washing and respiratory etiquette, ventilation and building cleaning, and contact tracing. For politicians, parents and school leaders looking for a clear green light to reopen schools, this is not it. "CDC is not mandating that schools reopen," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday on a phone briefing with reporters. Instead, the CDC goes to great lengths to explain that proper mitigation can help keep kids and staff safe at school, even in hard-hit communities, though it also warns that schools lulled into a false sense of security because of low community transmission rates could still spread the virus if they don't enforce mask-wearing and socially distanced classrooms. The update offers a few key changes to earlier language, including color-coded charts that divide schools' reopening options into four zones: blue, yellow, orange and red. Schools in areas with substantial transmission (orange, 50 to 99 new cases per 100,000) may still consider a limited reopening, as long as they can layer multiple safety strategies in the classroom. In hard-hit communities (red, more than 100 new cases per 100,000), elementary schools may consider limited reopening, with physical distancing required, but the CDC recommends middle and high schools be virtual-only unless mitigation strategies can be met. (Source: NPR) You can read the CDC’s updated guidance here. Late last month, the N.H. Department of Education released an update to its own return to school guidelines, which have thresholds similar to the CDC’s new guidance.

11. Fighting Vaccine Misinformation in Prison Populations. Defense attorneys say they're working with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections to combat misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine in state prisons. Although inmates are not a prioritized category under the state’s vaccine rollout, the Department of Corrections is offering vaccines to inmates whose age or medical condition make them eligible and to corrections officers, who are included in phase 1B. But defense attorneys say there's distrust among some inmates about the roll-out, spurred in part by false rumors that the vaccine is expired or will cause sterilization. Normal operations, such as in-person family visits and some drug treatment services, have been limited during the pandemic at the state prison, where around 250 inmates have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic. (Source: NHPR)

12. NH Democratic Elected Officials React to Proposed Sununu State Budget. Democratic leaders on Friday said Gov. Chris Sununu ought to be thanking the Biden administration and the state’s Democratic Congressional delegation for shoring up his proposed $13.8 billion two-year budget with $445 million in federal funds. That is the estimate New Hampshire state government would receive under the latest pandemic relief package currently making its way through Congress. While additional details on the governor’s budget will be unveiled at public hearings next week, a major concern to Democrats is downshifting of state costs to local property taxpayers. Also of concern are 1) details around proposed tax cuts and the impact on state revenues, using $30 million of the state’s rainy-day fund to balance the budget, apparent cuts in education funding, and how the state’s mental health system will be impacted, especially children’s emergency services. House Minority Leader Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, said “We want to force the governor to have a conversation about tax relief for property taxpayers. Property taxes are the largest broad-based tax we impose on New Hampshire citizens.” Cushing and Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord, the ranking member on the finance committee, both were concerned Sununu’s budget proposal does not include the additional $138 million in new state education aid included in the current biennium budget which ends June 30. “Last year the governor went around the state with Publishers Clearing House, large-sized checks,” Cushing said, “that Democrats provided in the budget.” The governor will not be making a tour this time, Cushing said, and if he does he will be delivering bills instead of checks. (Source: InDepthNH)

13. New Enrollment Period for Health Care Plans Begins Monday. A new enrollment period for health insurance under the federal Marketplace will start Monday. Enrollment periods under the Affordable Care Act usually end by mid-winter but President Biden has re-opened it for three months in response to cutbacks to the ACA under former President Trump. Trump had reduced the signup period for insurance by half, to just six weeks. It ended Dec. 15. Despite that cutback more people in New Hampshire signed up for insurance through the federal Marketplace than in the year prior: 46,684 in 2020, as compared to 44,581 in 2019. Officials attributed this increase at least partly to job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three insurance companies are offering individual plans on the New Hampshire Marketplace: Anthem, Ambetter from NH Healthy Families, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. (Source: Concord Monitor) You can sign up or get more information at HealthCare.gov.

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 12, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Friday, February 12

“What to Expect After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine” is one of several educational videos created by the Centers for Disease Control. You can view it here. (Source: CDC)

On Thursday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced one additional death and 394 new positive tests for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Friday.

1. Hospitalizations Continue to Drop. A man from Hillsborough County is the latest New Hampshire virus-connected fatality. The state has recorded 1,117 coronavirus deaths and confirmed 69,612 cases since the pandemic began. There were 394 new cases announced Thursday and the number of active infections statewide stands at 3,146. The state's hospitalizations dropped five patients from yesterday; 138 residents are currently hospitalized. The state has been averaging between 370 and 430 new cases a day for the last week.The communities with the highest rates of active cases, adjusted for population, include Plymouth, Pembroke, Windham, Salem and Durham, where University of New Hampshire officials just announced plans to pause all in-person classes due to surging cases. (Sources: NHPR and N.H. DHHS )

2. COVID Cases Spike at UNH. A sharp increase in COVID-19 cases on campus has caused the University of New Hampshire to pause all in-person classes and restrict students' social gatherings. UNH's coronavirus data from the end of Wednesday showed 195 active cases of coronavirus at UNH, including 191 students, and a 1.03% positivity rate among those testing for COVID-19. Classes for the spring semester for the university began Feb. 1, less than two weeks ago. UNH President James W. Dean Jr. said “the overwhelming majority of cases” are coming from the school’s off-campus students. If conditions do not improve by next week, he said, the school would be imposing “even more serious restrictions on how we operate.” (Source: Seacoast Online) Meanwhile, the administration at Franklin Pierce University has issued a shelter-in-place mandate for its campus in Rindge after 18 new positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 24 hours. The mandate will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday and will last for 10 days, according to school officials. (Source: WMUR)

3. Should Teachers Get COVID Vaccine Now? School Leaders, Sununu Disagree. SAU 16 Superintendent David Ryan said the Cooperative Middle School was forced to close one day last week, due primarily to a high absence of teachers. Ryan and teachers union leaders are advocating for Gov. Chris Sununu to move teachers up on the priority list for COVID-19 vaccinations. Sununu has criticized teachers for making this request. Ryan said 37 CMS staff members were absent Feb. 5, including 24 teachers. He said 13 of them were already on remote teaching assignments, due to COVID-19 related conditions. Sununu said during a Feb. 4 press conference that teachers unions were preventing schools from fully reopening over their demands to be vaccinated beforehand. He said he hopes to avoid a situation where he would have to use an “iron fist” on behalf of students to reopen their schools. Ryan said he Sununu is not accounting for the level of current attrition among teachers who were already performing in-person instruction but came into contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 and then must quarantine, as well as teachers who were prevented from returning in-person due to underlying health conditions. (Source: Seacoast Online)

4. NH Could See Almost $1.6 Billion in Additional Relief from the COVID Stimulus Package Now Being Debated in Congress. A COVID-19 relief package under consideration in Congress is coming into sharper focus this week. Legislative committees are hashing out details, and New Hampshire could receive a total of $1.57 billion. That’s over $300 million more than the $1.25 billion New Hampshire received from the CARES Act federal relief bill signed in March 2020. But unlike the CARES Act, some of the money will go directly to towns, cities and counties, and the money could be used to make up for pandemic-related budget shortfalls. (Source: Union Leader)

5. In Sununu's Budget Address, Pandemic As Backdrop And Tax Cuts At Forefront. Gov. Chris Sununu presented his two-year spending plan Thursday, a $13.8 billion package that proposes sweeping tax reductions and a series of what the governor called "generational investments" in the state. The budget plan, which would increase state general fund spending by 7% over the current budget, includes a handful of new proposals, like the creation of a state Department of Energy and the merger of New Hampshire’s public higher education systems, as well as cuts to several of the state’s major revenue sources. Other new initiatives proposed by Sununu include the creation of a Public Integrity Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, as well as an independent office to investigate local police misconduct. Both proposals come from a taskforce the governor established last year to examine issues around police conduct, transparency and accountability in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Sununu's budget outlined several changes in social services programs that have been affected by COVID-19, including mental health services, developmental services and child protective services. His plan would fund the state's current mental health plan, which Sununu says is critical in the face of strain caused by COVID-19. He would also increase spending at New Hampshire Hospital by $50 million over the next two years. And his budget adds $47 million in new spending on services for people with developmental disabilities. Sununu also envisions a $50 million bump in funding for children's mental health, more than twice the planned spending in the current state budget. Sununu also said his plan does not cut aid to public education. But critics said Sununu's plan fails to meet the true needs of the state's public schools. "It's likely that his proposed budget will fall well short of what local schools need to be able to serve the students in their communities," says Jeff McLynch, Director of the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project, which advocates for more public school funding and property tax relief. "Right now, cities and towns are staring at a likely $90 million decline of state education funding in the face." State lawmakers will now take Sununu’s proposal and rewrite it to their own terms, with negotiations likely to stretch until June when the current state spending plan expires. (Source: NHPR)

6. Lawmakers Propose Fix To ‘COVID Effect’ On N.H. School Budgets. Lawmakers are looking for ways to help school districts address anticipated budget shortfalls resulting from declines in enrollment during the pandemic. With millions in school funding on the line, cities are asking the state for help, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed a fix: calculate state aid on enrollment and poverty data on 2019, instead of this year. Republican Sen. Erin Hennessey of Littleton has introduced legislation which looks at districts’ enrollment for the past two years, and asks the state to calculate funding based on the higher of the two. A bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jay Kahn of Keene, SB145, would also calculate aid based on 2019, and it would maintain a form of aid that property-poor communities received in the 2020-21 school year, called “fiscal disparity aid.” Democrats are also pushing for a major overhaul of the state’s education funding formula, but Kahn says in the meantime, towns with the lowest property values per student – many of which have the highest property tax rates – should continue to receive additional aid. (Source: NHPR)

7. Adelle’s Coffeehouse Owner 'Hopeful' as Shop Closes for 2 Months. To protect both its employees and the community amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Adelle’s Coffeehouse in downtown Dover will temporarily hibernate for about two months starting Valentine’s Day. “I think it’s just been on our minds for a long time since things started to get bad around the holidays,” said owner and manager Nova Mullineaux. “There’s some fear about the possibility of taking the virus home to their families but also spreading it in the community. We’re taking all of the precautions we could possibly take, but there’s always like that little bit of unknown that I think keeps everybody on edge.” The popular coffee, tea and bagel shop is the latest Seacoast business to temporarily close due to the pandemic and winter. (Source: Seacoast Online)

8. N.H. Task Force OKs Guidance For Camps, Bar Entertainment. With coronavirus case counts on the decline and fewer hospitalizations in New Hampshire, the governor's reopening task force on Thursday looked ahead to summer and recommended updated guidance for camp operators that includes keeping children in small groups and more preparation for arrivals and pickups. Gov. Chris Sununu would need to approve the task force's recommendations, which also include lifting some restrictions for restaurants and bars on the use of pool and billiard tables, dartboards, and karaoke. The group also plans to include new members from industries that have been hit particularly hard, such as performing arts and outdoor entertainment venues, and the wedding industry. Under the updated guidance for camps, staff working at overnight camps would quarantine on site for 10 days. Campers attending from outside New England would self-quarantine at home, or in New Hampshire, before arriving at camp. Staff and children also would undergo COVID-19 tests seven days before they arrive, when they get to camp, and then about five to seven days later. (Source: NHPR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 11, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/INFORMATION SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• City of Portsmouth Vaccination FAQs

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Thursday, February 11

Older adults have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, but progress remains slow in many states when it comes to vaccinating seniors. Currently, none of the states reporting vaccinations by age are reporting that more than 34% of eligible seniors have been vaccinated. New Hampshire does not appear in the chart because it doesn’t provide vaccination data by age. (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation)

On Wednesday, New Hampshire public health officials announced seven additional deaths and 374 new positive tests for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Thursday.

1. 374 New Cases, 7 Deaths Announced. The seven additional deaths announced on Wednesday bring the state’s death toll for the COVID-19 pandemic up to 1,116. The state also reported 374 new cases, 76 of them in children and teens. One positive sign: since Jan. 23, the seven-day average in new cases has been steadily dropping, from 838 to today's average of 370. The current test positivity rate stands at 4.4%. Health officials suggest a positivity rate of sub-5% is necessary to keep the virus under control. N.H.'s rate has met that threshold since Feb. 2. On Wednesday, 142 residents were hospitalized due to the virus -- less than half the number at the start of the new year. (Sources: NHPR and N.H. DHHS)

2. Nashua Mayor Pleads: Get Teachers Vaccinated Now. As Nashua students return to the classroom Monday -- some for the first time in almost a year -- Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess is urging the governor to let teachers be vaccinated as soon as possible. “The vaccines could be a powerful tool in helping to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff,” Donchess wrote in a letter to Gov. Chris Sununu this week. Sununu excluded educators from Phase 1 of the vaccine rollout, saying last month that other groups who perform emergency medical services are a higher priority. Teachers are currently included in Phase 2A of the rollout, which depending on vaccine supplies is expected to begin in March and run through May. While families can decide whether their children will return to school buildings or stick with remote learning, Donchess said in his letter to Sununu that most teachers may not have that same choice, COVID-19 does not just affect the elderly, and that some young people are dying from the disease. “Do not let one of those stories be about a New Hampshire teacher,” he wrote to Sununu. (Source: Union Leader)

3. 1st Case of UK COVID-19 Variant Confirmed in Maine. Health officials said Wednesday that they have confirmed the first Maine case of the highly contagious COVID variant first identified in the United Kingdom. The B.1.1.7 variant was detected in a Franklin County resident who had recently traveled internationally, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 900 cases of the variant have been detected in 34 other U.S. states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut. “We recognize the concern this case may cause, given that the B.1.1.7 variant appears to spread more easily,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC. “Given the number of cases already detected in other states, we expected the variant to arrive in Maine and have been on the lookout for it. It is more important than ever that Maine people remain vigilant in taking the steps that prevent the spread of COVID-19 – wearing face coverings, staying at least 6 feet apart, avoiding gatherings, and washing hands frequently.” (Source: NECN)

4. CDC Releases Study Saying Wearing Two Masks May More Effectively Prevent Spread. U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads 6 feet from each other and checked to see how many coronavirus-sized particles spewed by one were inhaled by the other. The researchers found that wearing one mask — surgical or cloth — blocked around 40% of the particles coming toward the head that was breathing in. When a cloth mask was worn on top of a surgical mask, about 80% were blocked. (Source: Associated Press) Meanwhile, New Hampshire public health officials have acknowledged the increased protection a second mask provides. State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said on a call with school nurses on Wednesday that their recommendation continues to be everyone wearing a mask and making sure it is the right one. Some on the front lines, like Incident Manager Scott Schuler from Seacoast Public Health, have begun wearing two masks at a time. He said he does it for the better filtration and a tighter fit. (Source: WMUR)

5. State Senators Propose COVID-19 Relief Bill for New Hampshire. An independent audit into care at homes for seniors and veterans, a $1 million micro-enterprise fund, state support for live venues, and employer responsibility for the cost of required employee testing are included in an omnibus bill offering state relief during the pandemic. Supporters said Wednesday the bill (SB 132) is designed to fill any gaps in COVID-19 federal relief and help consumers deal with health and financial risks once the state of emergency is over. “The only way we come out of COVID strong is if we support all of the sectors of the economy that were hardest hit,” said state Sen. Tom Sherman, D-Rye. The percentage of deaths in long-term care settings here was the highest in the country, and the 35 who died at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton was one of the highest death tolls in the state. Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said the state would seek federal grants to pay for an audit that could cost an estimated $250,000, but the bill should include state dollars to cover it if necessary. (Source: Union Leader)

6. Vaccine Signups Cater to the Tech-Savvy, Leaving Out Many. While many older adults have access to the internet and are tech-savvy, others are not. And even some of those who are used to going online are having a hard time navigating complicated registration websites. Others who are being left out include low-income residents who may not have the technology and people in rural areas with poor internet connections. Many older people are turning to adult children, other family members or friends to help them. Others are just left out. “People are so frustrated because nobody is taking the time to explain how the system is working,” said Cindy Piotrowski, director of the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Portage County in Wisconsin. “The ageism and the societal disrespect for people who are aging is more pronounced now than ever before.” Vaccine registration websites typically require email addresses or a cellphone that can receive text messages. That doesn’t help many older adults, who have neither. (Source: Stateline) In New Hampshire, the state’s 211 hotline provides an alternative. But wait times have often stretched into hours, leaving some with no way to make an appointment.

7. Can You Cross State Lines to Get a COVID Vaccine? The Rules in New England. If you own a ski house in the White Mountains or a summer home on Old Orchard Beach, but reside out of state, don't try to get the COVID-19 vaccine there. That's the message from several New England states when it comes to who can receive their limited vaccine supply right now. The answer is: residents only. But enforcement mechanisms are few, and no states cite any penalties in place for perceived violators. New Hampshire, which only three weeks ago was allowing property owners from out of state to get vaccinated, now requires proof of residency be shown at the time of vaccination appointments. The state also claims to be monitoring registrations so only residents can can sign up for available doses. (Source: Seacoast Online)

8. Lawmaker’s Vulgarity Highlights Tensions of Remote N.H. State House. COVID-19 has changed daily life for most of us, and the New Hampshire Legislature is no exception. Less social contact and more hours on Zoom are affecting how lawmakers do business, and it’s leading to new tensions and frustrations across the board. On Wednesday, Sen. Sharon Carson of Londonderry left the virtual meeting of the Executive Administration Committee without telling colleagues. When she returned, Carson explained she needed to take a phone call to address her daughter’s hospitalization and put the committee into recess. Fellow Republican Sen. John Reagan’s response was to mutter an obscenity in Carson’s direction, overheard on the committee's virtual meeting. He later apologized, but the incident caught the attention of many State House observers as a particularly egregious example of Zoom crudeness. While it’s debatable whether remote work is to blame for such an exchange, it is clear that one month into the current legislative session, remote hearings do change dynamics: between colleagues like Carson and Reagan, but also between lawmakers and people who testify on bills. Committee chairs effectively wield more power in remote hearings: the power to leave meetings without announcing it, as Carson did, but also to shut down testimony they may not want to hear, with the simple touch of a button on their laptop. (Source: NHPR) Note: It’s important to point out that shutting down testimony is not necessarily a matter of wanting to silence the people testifying. One of the benefits of using remote technology for public hearings is that the accompanying changes to the process of signing up to testify remotely have made it easier, safer, and more convenient for members of the public to testify and indicate their support or opposition to bills. But of the consequences of the change has been an increase in members of the public signing up to testify or asking to speak. In my committee, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, we have been dealing with a series of very controversial bills. Hearing days have stretched from 9:00 a.m. to the dinner hour—and sometimes beyond. To keep on schedule, Chairman Daryl Abbas has used the discretion available to him under House rules to impose time limits on people testifying. This is not new. During large hearings on controversial bills in the 2019 and 2020 sessions, time limits were also sometimes imposed on those testifying. But what is different now is that ALL members of the public are participating remotely. This makes possible the jarring capability to enforce time limits with a mute button that simply cuts a person off mid-sentence. While it’s unsettling to witness (and I’m guessing even more unsettling to experience), speakers are always warned if there is a time limit in place. Moreover, after being muted, people testifying have typically (but not always) been allowed to sum up their final thoughts in a sentence or two. All of this muting and unmuting can definitely take some getting used to. But what shouldn’t be lost is that without this technology, far fewer people would be able to participate in the process. Since public hearings are supposed to be primarily for the public’s benefit (versus our benefit as legislators), it strikes me that a lot of the grumbling by legislators about remote meeting technology is misplaced—especially given that there are also negatives when it comes to the public’s experience with traditional in-person hearings even during normal times (travel time to Concord, finding the right hearing room, uncomfortable chairs, hearing committee members in large rooms with no sound reinforcement, etc.) Something we all need to realize is these aren’t normal times. So while misusing or misunderstanding technology can definitely lead to problems, it’s important to realize that the technology itself doesn’t cause bad behavior or give rise to potentially arbitrary conduct. People do. It’s up to us to do better, to adjust, and to try to improve the experience for the public—not to grumble and complain.

9. Dover Schools Look to Hire COVID Contact Tracer Ahead of the Phased Back-to-School Plan. The city school district is considering adding a COVID-19 contact tracer as schools move toward reopening in-person learning to more students. The temporary position would be for this school year, which ends in June. The contact tracer position would promote COVID safety and isolation education, monitor and track infected staff and students, conduct follow ups with positive cases, notify the public in the event of an outbreak investigation and create daily reports. Currently, the informal role of contact tracer lands on the principal and athletic director of each school. Superintendent William Harbron told the school board that the district has found contact tracing to already be a time-consuming task for school administrators, and in anticipation of the phased back-to-school plan, he foresees the need to make it a dedicated position. (Source: Seacoast Online)

10. Performing Arts Venues Plan Outdoor Summer Events Amid Ongoing Pandemic. Officials with many venues said it will be at least fall before they can start welcoming full audiences again. They have been making do with what they can for the past year, with some of the largest and smallest venues facing the biggest challenges. The Tupelo Music Hall plans to relaunch its drive-in outdoor series, and The Music Hall in Portsmouth will restart its outdoor concert series. The Portsmouth venue has also been hosting livestreamed performances inside with smaller, socially distanced audiences. Smaller venues have also been targeted for help. Federal legislation dubbed the Save Our Stages Act is directing $1 million in future funds for New Hampshire venues under a 300-person capacity. "We know that these venues are such important entertainment hubs and economic multipliers for our local economies," said Sen. Becky Whitley, D-Hopkinton. Venue officials said they believe that by fall, there will be protocols in place to allow all seats to be sold, and consumer confidence may return enough to allow for full crowds. (Source: WMUR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 10, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Wednesday, February 10

On Tuesday, New Hampshire public heath officials reported three additional deaths and 421 new positive test results for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the coronavirus-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Wednesday.

1. Hospitalizations Continue February Decline But Deaths a Constant Reminder of Virus’s Toll. Three more Granite Staters have died from the coronavirus, state health officials announced Tuesday. Of the new deaths, one patient was associated with a long-term care facility. Since the start of the pandemic, 1,109 New Hampshire residents have died from the virus. The state also reported 421 newly-identified COVID-19 infections. According to state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan, the seven-day average for new cases is between 350-400, and the test positivity rate is 4.4%, both down from the previous week's report. The state is currently monitoring 3,170 active COVID cases and 159 patients are hospitalized with the virus. (Sources: NHPR and N.H. DHHS) Portsmouth has also seen a decline in active cases. The state’s active case map of New Hampshire communities showed there were 51 on Tuesday as compared to totals that soared well over 100 in January. Manchester (345), Nashua (240), and Salem (105) are the communities with the most current cases.

2. Walgreens To Be A Vaccination Site, With N.H. Appointments Made Through State System. Up to 3,400 residents per week will soon be able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 at Walgreens pharmacy locations around New Hampshire. Rather than book appointments directly with Walgreens, however, the state said it will target residents who currently have long wait times for appointments already scheduled at state-run clinics, and give them the opportunity to take an earlier slot. “We are going to start kind of at the back of the list, those that are furthest out, and start directly one-on-one calling them and rescheduling them, to go get their vaccine at a much earlier date, and using Walgreens as our partner to administer that,” Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday during a press conference. The vaccine doses are coming directly from the federal government through its own contracts with Walgreens, and do not impact the state’s own supply of vaccines. (Source: NHPR)

3. Decreasing Daily New COVID-19 Cases to Allow for Resumption of Contact Tracing. With COVID-19 cases declining in New Hampshire, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said it opens the opportunity for contact tracing again. There is now an average of 300 to 400 new daily cases, which health officials said makes it possible to be investigating every case diagnosed. When daily case numbers began to reach the level the state saw after the holidays, it becomes less effective to conduct contact tracing. The Department of Health and Human Services has begun the transition period of moving back to a strategy of containment, rather than mitigation, which includes the return to contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. Chan said it is also possible that once one of the COVID-19 variants becomes detected in the state, case numbers could rise. He urged that vigilance remains important. (Source: WMUR)

4. State Updates Nursing Home and Prison Outbreak Numbers. With four outbreaks officially closed and two new ones added, there are currently 23 active outbreaks at New Hampshire congregate living facilities. Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth remains on the list with 31 resident cases, 20 staff cases, and one resident death. Topping the list once again were three correctional facilities— the N.H. State Men’s Prison (264 inmate cases, 75 staff cases, and 1 death), The Hillsborough County House of Corrections (114 inmates, 54 staff), and the Strafford County House of Corrections (127 inmates, 14 staff). Another jail, the Carrol County House of Corrections (3 inmates, 10 staff), is new to the list this week. (Source: N.H. DHHS) Worth noting is the NH Department of Corrections website, which updates testing and active case numbers each day, is reporting only five active cases in the Men’s State Prison. (Source: N.H. Department of Corrections) The reason for the apparent discrepancy between the the DHHS and DOC numbers is that while DHHS is reporting the number of all positive tests during a current outbreak—including those of people who have recovered—DOC is reporting on the number of currently active cases, which is far less as the outbreak apparently comes under control.

5. After N.H. Announced Second Shot Fix, Some Newly Vaccinated Still Not Receiving Appointments. Despite promises of a streamlined system for scheduling second appointments of COVID-19 vaccines, some people receiving first doses in New Hampshire are still not immediately receiving scheduling information for their necessary second shots. After a botched scheduling process left tens of thousands of residents facing wait times longer than the CDC recommends between doses, last week Gov. Chris Sununu apologized and announced that starting this week, anyone receiving their first dose would automatically receive an appointment card for a second shot, rather than having to book the second shot through a government website. However, at least some recipients of vaccines at state-run vaccination clinics in Lebanon and Exeter on Tuesday said they left without second appointments. “We said to them that we’d been told that we’d get a card. They said, ‘Oh that’s news to us,’” said Betsy Gonnerman, who along with her husband Mike received their first vaccine doses Tuesday in Lebanon. Gonnerman said she was told by an administrator at the vaccination site that they would receive an email within a few days with their second dose appointment information, even though the new system of automatically scheduling appointments was supposed to launch statewide Feb. 7. During a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Chris Sununu was asked about recipients not receiving vaccine appointment cards. He said the state was aware of some examples of people not receiving second appointment information onsite, but suggested it was a small number of people and that user error was to blame in some cases. "There were definitely some that the information was incomplete on the card or there was just some misunderstanding of how to turn the card over and see where their second shot was going to be scheduled," said Sununu. (Source: NHPR)

6. Long Delays Cause Frustration at Some State-run Vaccination Sites. Delays at state vaccination sites on Tuesday were blamed in part on the winter weather. Hundreds of people waited for hours to get their shots. The delays led to rising tensions, not just in Hooksett, viewers informed News 9 of problems at the Londonderry and Nashua vaccination sites on Tuesday. Some were forced to wait as long as three hours after the time of their original appointments before receiving their shots. The reasons for delays have yet to be completely explained. In a statement to News 9, Perry Plummer from the New Hampshire COVID-19 Task Force said, “There are slight delays at a few sites due to the winter storm, but everyone who was scheduled for a vaccine today will be able to receive theirs. The sites will stay open until all appointments have been taken care of.” (Source: WMUR)

7. Bill Would Stabilize State Education Funding Amid COVID-19 Disruptions. The House budget writing committee heard no opposition to maintaining current levels of state aid to school districts at a public hearing Tuesday. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student enrollment and the method the state uses to determine the number of students who live in poverty are significantly lower than a year ago. The lower enrollments would result in school districts losing about $90 million in state aid. House Bill 623 would have the state distribute the same amount of education aid in the next two fiscal years, 2022 and 2023, as it distributes this fiscal year, 2021. Lawmakers increased state aid to education by $178 million in the biennial budget approved in September 2019 by returning stabilization grants to their original level and providing additional aid to property poor districts and those with a greater number of low-income families. The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. David Luneau, D-Hopkinton, who chaired the Commission to Study School Funding, said the bill deals both with the impacts of the pandemic and retaining the targeted aid to poorer districts the Legislature approved last session. “This would hold harmless due to the drop in enrollment that is pandemic related that is no fault of the school district,” he said, “and the 25 percent drop in free and reduced lunch that is not the normal course.” The state uses the number of students on the free and reduced lunch program as an indicator of poverty and increases state aid. Luneau and others explained that many parents decided to homeschool their students when schools used remote learning and are not anticipated to return to in-school learning until the pandemic subsides. School adequacy aid is based on average daily attendance based on the number of students in October of the prior school year. (Source: InDepthNH)

8. UNH President Says Pandemic Has Been Costly. The president of the University of New Hampshire has said there is a tough financial road ahead for the state’s flagship university. The COVID-19 pandemic cost the school about $40 million according to officials. “An analysis done last summer estimated we would need to save approximately $40 million by fiscal year 2023 in order to achieve financial sustainability,” UNH President James Dean said. “It looks as if we are roughly on track to do this.” Costs have already been reduced in areas like IT, the library and there are plans for athletics. Nearly 300 faculty and staff took the offered early retirement. Students are back on campus, Dean said nearly 100 are in isolation or quarantine. (Source: WMUR)

9. Franklin Pierce Reports 15 COVID-19 Cases Since Students' Return. Franklin Pierce University In Rindge has reported 15 COVID-19 cases since students returned to campus a little more than two weeks ago, with 10 of those infections considered active, a spokeswoman said Monday. The total represents more than half the number of coronavirus cases detected at the university last semester, but in this spring term Franklin Pierce is conducting twice as many random weekly tests as it did in the fall. “We feel [the reopening plan is] working well and as we intended,” spokeswoman Marissa Colcord said in an email. “We increased the frequency of our testing this semester [and] are able to quickly identify positive cases and provide isolation and quarantine as needed.” (Source: Keene Sentinel)

10. YouTuber's ‘Audit’ on COVID-19 Restrictions Riles Hampton Town Employees. A man who live-streamed from town hall complaining his rights were being violated because he wasn't allowed to go to the second floor due to COVID-19 restrictions, "frightened" town employees but did nothing illegal. The Feb. 1 incident resulted in several town employees emailing Selectman Mary-Louise Woolsey telling her they were "terrified" of the "lunatic who went into the town office with his camera." Town Manager Jamie Sullivan addressed the incident for the second time Monday night saying at no time was any town employee in danger. "I was involved from the beginning," said Sullivan. "Law enforcement was involved from the beginning. They monitored it the entire time. No one was unsafe. At no time was this person a danger. An annoyance, perhaps. But nothing further.” The man, who identified himself on camera as Mark, live-streamed the entire incident on his YouTube channel Press NH Now, trying to make a point that COVID-19 policy decisions were not law and that he had a right to film in a public building. (Source: Seacoast Online)

11. ‘Great Sadness’: Urban Farmhouse Eatery Closes in North Hampton. The owner of The Urban Farmhouse Eatery, Renee Locke, has announced the closing of her popular restaurant. In post on the restaurant’s Facebook page last week, she wrote, “With great sadness, we regretfully announce we are closed permanently. I thank my amazing team, my family, my friends and of course all of you guests for a truly wonderful journey!” Town Administrator Mike Tully said he’s eaten at the Urban Farmhouse many times and enjoyed it very much. The food was terrific, he said, the staff warm and friendly. That’s usually the recipe for success for local eateries, but not lately with the stress the COVID-19 pandemic placed on all small businesses, especially restaurants. “It is disheartening to see another business in our community close its doors,” Tully said, “and a reminder of the difficulties local businesses are experiences during the pandemic. This highlights the importance of the public utilizing local business as much as possible during difficult times.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

Note: This morning starting at 9:00 a.m., the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee (the committee I serve on) will conduct a day-long series of public hearings on bills ranging from measures that would ban communities from enacting ordinances restricting firearms to one that would require law enforcement authorities to provide advance notice of immigration checkpoints. You can view the livestream here starting at 9:00 a.m. throughout the day.

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 9, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Tuesday, February 9

The New Hampshire House of Representatives Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee holds a public hearing on a bill that would prevent the state from imposing mandatory vaccinations.

On Monday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported two additional deaths and the lowest new daily case numbers in three months. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Tuesday.

1. State Reports Lowest Number of New Infections Since October. New Hampshire health officials announced the deaths of two additional residents from COVID-19 on Monday. The patients were from Hillsborough and Rockingham counties. Since the start of the pandemic, 1,106 Granite Staters have died from the virus. Although numbers on Mondays tend to paint a brighter picture because of delayed reporting, the state reported only 121 new positive test results for the coronavirus, the lowest new case report since October of last year. There are a total of 3,245 active COVID-19 infections in New Hampshire—about half of what we were seeing in peak weeks in December and January. There are also 179 current hospitalizations. (Source: N.H. DHHS)

2. COVID Tracker: The Number of Fully Vaccinated People is Growing, But Has a Long Way to Go. In the Concord Monitor’s weekly analysis of COVID-19 metrics, there is some encouraging news: in a week or two, the number of people in the state who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be greater in our state than the number who have gotten the disease. About 16,000 people were added last week to the list of folks who have gotten both doses, a big step up from previous weeks, while about 4,000 were added to the list of folks who currently have or previously had COVID-19. If that keeps up, well before the month is over we’ll have about 75,000 people who are safely vaccinated. While that news is encouraging, the number of people who have been fully vaccinated represents only 3.4% of the population—meaning we still have a long way to go before the numbers are up to the 70-85% levels public health experts say are needed for herd immunity and a return to normalcy. (Source: Concord Monitor) Nationally, more than 4 million more vaccinations were reported over the weekend, a significantly faster clip than in previous days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Newly confirmed infections have declined to an average of 117,000 a day, the lowest point since early November. That is a steep drop from the peak of nearly 250,000 a day in early January. But authorities worry that raucous Super Bowl celebrations and new COVID variants could fuel new outbreaks. (Source: Associated Press)

3. NH Lawmaker Wants to Prohibit Mandatory Vaccines. New Hampshire would be prohibited from mandating vaccines and its vaccine registry would switch from an opt-out to an opt-in system under two bills before a House committee Monday. The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee held public hearings on two bills sponsored by Rep. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton. Lang’s first bill would declare an "inalienable right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion that the person accepts any medical intervention, including immunization." Lang said he objects to state rules requiring foster parents to be vaccinated against certain diseases. Opponents took issue with a section of the bill that states that no person may be discriminated against for refusing a vaccine, noting that hospitals require employees to be vaccinated against the flu and the state requires certain vaccines for schoolchildren, although there are religious and medical exemptions. State public health officials also pushed back saying the state has no current plans to make vaccines mandatory. "The communicable disease statutes in New Hampshire protect and support individuals to make choices," said Patricia Tilley, deputy director of the state division of public health. "But our laws also protect individuals from the decisions of others. Vaccine requirements protect those who are compromised." Beth Daly, chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, said she worries the bill could dismantle some vaccination requirements aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable residents, like influenza shot mandates for staff in nursing homes and hospitals. Daly said these policies have increased vaccination rates among healthcare workers from less than 60% voluntarily choosing to get vaccinated to about 95%. “If you do eliminate these policies, vaccinations rate will, without question, decrease substantially,” Daly said. “Relaxing requirements for immunization will lead to preventable disability and death.” Lang’s second bill would prohibit the state from collecting a patient's data for its new vaccine registry unless a patient specifically chooses to participate. Under current law, patients are given the opportunity to opt out. Lang said the bill is in line with a 2018 amendment to the state constitution establishing a "right to privacy." Opponents argued that the registry rules shouldn't be changed before it has even gotten off the ground, and that the opt-out provision adequately protects privacy. (Sources: Seacoast Online and Concord Monitor) You can watch a recording of the entire hearing here.

4. COVID-19 Vaccination Scheduling Problems Resolved for Some, Remain for Others. New Hampshire's COVID-19 vaccine scheduling issues that caused frustration to boil over last week are still being addressed. Some Granite Staters have successfully moved up their second-shot appointments, while others are still encountering problems. Some people in Phase 1B because of qualifying medical conditions rather than age told News 9 they have received the go-ahead from their doctors and their information was sent to the state, but they haven't heard back yet. Some of those families said they have tried 211, and they're told to wait. They said they feel like they're in limbo and are worried that the longer they wait for a call back, the farther out they will end up on the calendar if they have to restart the process. State health said they are working around the clock and making thousands of calls per day to address the issues. Officials said 21,000 doses of vaccine are expected to arrive this week, the first in what many are hoping is the beginning of a long stretch of incremental increases in supply. As that comes in, some of the issues could be more easily resolved. (Source: WMUR)

5. More Doses Arrive for Manchester VA Medical Center. The Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center is ramping up COVID-19 vaccinations after a big increase in the number of doses delivered to the facility. The VA Medical Center has been averaging 200-300 vaccine doses per week, but the latest shipment was 1,400. The facility is now working to distribute every dose by the end of the week. Officials said if the shots can be distributed efficiently, that will put the facility in line to get bigger allocations of the vaccine in the coming weeks. The vaccine is available by appointment only. See the VAMC website for more information about eligibility and the process. https://www.manchester.va.gov/services/covid-19-vaccines.asp (Source: WMUR)

6. NH Lawmakers Consider Bill To Shield N.H. Businesses, Religious Organizations, and Non-Profits From COVID Exposure Lawsuits. A bill designed to ward off lawsuits stemming from COVID exposures went before a state Senate committee Monday. The measure's backers say it's prudent to protect businesses from lawsuits over COVID exposure, as well as local governments, schools, and religious organizations, so long as they can show they've followed state and federal COVID guidance. The bill's lead sponsor, Warren Republican Bob Giuda, told colleagues the Business and Industry Association was the impetus for the bill. But Giuda said he expanded their idea - protecting businesses from lawsuits over COVID exposure - to also shield local governments, schools, non-profits and religious organizations, if they can show they'e adhered to state and federal COVID guidance. "If they are complying they should not be subject as well, to litigation," Giuda said. Meanwhile, local trial attorneys argue that the scarcity of such lawsuits shows the protections are unneeded and too broad. So-called "safe harbor" bills dealing with the coronavirus are now being debated in many states. "What we don't want to do is create a bill where the only people that can be sued are essentially people who have licked the face of every customer that walked into the building," said Tony Sculumbrini, an attorney from Nashua. (Source: NHPR) Neil Nicholson, a Concord lawyer, said the bill would reduce a citizen’s right to a jury trial and would not likely survive a constitutional challenge. Critics of the bill maintain New Hampshire isn’t an attractive environment to bring these suits because judges cannot award punitive damages that result in multimillion-dollar jury awards. “Guess what? New Hampshire’s law already covers this problem, and covers it well,” Chant said.(Source: Union Leader)

7. NH State Senator Introduces Restaurant Relief Act. State Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, introduced the Restaurant Relief Act of 2021 to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. If enacted, the Restaurant Relief Act of 2021 would temporarily change the operator compensation under the meals and rooms tax from 3 to 5 percent. “For nearly a year, our restaurants have been fighting for survival,” Rosenwald said. “Thousands of workers have been laid off temporarily or permanently as revenues have plummeted. The Restaurant Relief Act of 2021 puts money back into the pockets of our restaurants, thereby saving thousands of jobs across the state, without long term financial consequences.” (Source: InDepthNH)

8. N.H. Circuit Courts Launch A Mediation Pilot Program For Eviction Cases. The New Hampshire Circuit Court will pilot a free, voluntary mediation program to resolve eviction disputes. Margaret Huang, the coordinator of the Office of Mediation and Arbitration, said eviction cases across New Hampshire are lower than normal because of the CDC's eviction moratorium. But with that expiring at the end of March, eviction filings could go up, and mediation could be a way to alleviate the increase and resolve evictions. "We're piloting the program now to see if it will give us the benefits we want it to. Mainly that landlords and tenants will feel satisfied with the process,” she said. Huang hopes mediation will give tenants and landlords an opportunity in an informal setting to talk about what's important to them, and come to a solution that meets their needs. (Source: NHPR)

9. Nashua Board of Education Votes to Transition Into Hybrid Learning if Specific Metrics Met. A week from Monday, Nashua students are set to return to their classrooms, many of them for the first time since last March when the pandemic hit. The Board of Education stuck with the plan to only return if the metrics have been met for 14 consecutive days, Monday marked 10 days. Nashua’s Superintendent recommended the district begin to phase in hybrid learning starting Feb. 15 for Grades K-1, 6-8 and 9-12. The plan calls for second and third graders to return March 1 and fourth and fifth-graders March 8. To go to hybrid learning, the Nashua COVID-19 dashboard must show a Moderate Level for 2 of the 3 metrics for 14 consecutive days, those include new cases per 100,000, new hospitalizations for 100,000 and the seven-day positivity test rate. There was discussion on Monday night to ease those metrics that would allow a return to the classroom even if the 14-day metrics are not met. But, that was voted down. (Source: WMUR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 8, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Monday, February 8

On Sunday, New Hampshire public health officials announced six additional deaths and 362 new positive test results for COVID-19. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Monday.

1. Six More New Hampshire Deaths, Active Cases Drop Below 4,000. Six additional New Hampshire residents have died from COVID-19, according to a report from state health officials Sunday. The new deaths bring New Hampshire's toll from the virus to 1,104 since the beginning of the pandemic. The state reported 3,661 active infections in the Granite State, the first time case numbers have dropped below 4,000 since late November. Health officials also announced 362 newly-identified infections. The state's current positivity rate stands at 2.7%, a significant drop from recent weeks. Resident hospitalizations number 186. (Sources: NHPR and N.H. DHHS)

2. Sununu Says Get Kids Back into Class or Else. When critics hammered Gov. Chris Sununu last fall for giving “flexibility” instead of firm guidelines to school district administrators and school boards to decide how they would conduct public schools in the face of risks from COVID-19, Sununu said the move was in keeping with New Hampshire’s tradition of local control. But wow that the Biden administration’s Centers for Disease Control has advised that it’s safe to bring kids back into schools even before all teachers are vaccinated, Sununu appeared to warn that posture could change. At last Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing, Sununu said there’s no excuse for keeping children out of school. “We are hoping that (districts) do it on their own. If I have to come down with an iron fist for these kids, it is darn well right that I will,” Sununu said. “It is the No. 1 issue the state is going to face for the next 12 months around the pandemic.” (Source: Union Leader)

3. State Now Scheduling Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose When People Receive First Vaccination. Beginning yesterday, Granite Staters who received their first dose of the vaccine were scheduled for their second dose at the same time. During the first appointment, they will receive a card that specifies which vaccine was given to them and the time, date and location to receive their second shot. This marks a change from the earlier, trouble-prone process where sign-ups for second doses were being handled through a website built under a no-bid contract from the Trump administration. Perry Plummer from the New Hampshire COVID-19 Vaccine Response Team said the state is also planning to proactively reach out to everyone who has received a first shot to schedule their second dose. (Source: WMUR)

4. A Look at How NH Tourism Industry Has Fared During Pandemic. The pandemic has impacted every level of tourism in New Hampshire, from leaf peeping to dining. Visitors are faced with state regulations both in New Hampshire and often in their home state as well. It’s because of these challenges that Lori Harnois, New Hampshire Tourism Director, says, “The Division is not forecasting travel or spending for the 2020-21 winter season. Similar to summer and fall, due to COVID-19, there are many unknowns and variables with the potential to impact visitation and visitor spending, making it difficult to project those figures.” While the numbers aren’t in yet that paint a clear picture of the pandemic’s impact on fall tourism, festivals that draw people from across the country and around the world were cancelled across the state along with shows at most performing arts venues. Ginnie Lupi, director of the NH State Council on the Arts, said, “Now that the vaccines are being distributed, we are hopeful that by the summer of 2021, New Hampshire’s cultural activity and related tourism will rebound.” Source: Concord Monitor)

5. Mass. Restaurants, Gyms, Other Businesses Will Have Increased Capacity Limits Monday. Increased capacity limits on Massachusetts restaurants, gyms and other businesses are set to take effect Monday as state health officials continue to see encouraging trends in the state's COVID-19 data. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday he would increase the 25% capacity limit to 40% based on recent declines in coronavirus hospitalizations and case counts. "People's work is paying off on this one," he said. "We just need to keep it up for a few more months." (Source: NECN) Meanwhile, UMass Amherst has paused winter sports for two weeks and raised its COVID alert level after a recent surge in new cases. The risk level is being raised from "elevated" to "high," effective 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. It will stay this way for a minimum of 14 days, UMass said in a statement.

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 7, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Sunday, February 7

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in New Hampshire is down 28%. But prominent public health officials are urging people not to attend Super Bowl parties because the risk of community transmission that could cause another spike in illnesses remains high. (Graphic: N.H. DHHS)

On Saturday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced eight additional deaths and 477 new positive test results. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Super Bowl Sunday.

1. Hospitalizations Fall As COVID-19 Claims 8 More Granite Staters. Eight additional New Hampshire residents have died from COVID-19, state health officials announced Saturday. Six of the deaths were linked to long-term care facilities and seven involved residents age 60 or older. The number of people currently hospitalized for the coronavirus now stands at 183—a decline of 15 from Friday and the lowest since Dec. 5. While hospitalization numbers have typically tend dropped slightly in recent weeks over the weekend only to rise again the following week, the fact that they now stand at a two-month low is a positive sign. The state also announced 477 new COVID-19 cases. The total number of cases now stands at 68,061. (Source: N.H. DHHS) Over the past week, the seven-day average of new cases has declined 28%. Even more encouraging is the decline of new cases being reported in long-term care facilities. On December 23, a pandemic high of 126 cases were reported in NH nursing homes and the seven-day average of new cases stood at 63.1. But as of February 5, the seven-day average of new cases in long-term care facilities is down to 11.1. Another good sign is the combined seven-day average positivity rate for antigen and PCR tests now stands at 4.5%—about half the rate seen in late December and early January.

2. 'Lay Low And Cool It': Fauci Warns Against Super Bowl Parties Becoming Superspreaders. Many Americans will likely want to celebrate this Sunday's Super Bowl as they have in previous years, with large, snack-filled watch parties. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser and the nation's top infectious disease official, is urging people to break from tradition to prevent a potential spike in COVID-19. In several media appearances last week, Fauci implored people to limit their gatherings to household members only. "Every time we do have something like this, there always is a spike," he said, adding that "now is not the time" for mixed-household gatherings. Fauci's advice echoes that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released updated guidance last week on attending gatherings, including Super Bowl parties, saying the safest way to watch the event is at home with immediate family. (Source: NPR)

3. The COVID-19 Economy Has Kept an Outsized Number of Women Out of the Workforce. Since last February, women in the U.S. have lost more than 5.4 million net jobs, 55% of net jobs lost since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Working women in New Hampshire have been hard-hit. While male workers saw a 0.7% reduction in workforce participation from February 2020 to November, female workers saw more than twice that with a 1.7% reduction in labor force participation, according to a COVID-19 unemployment update from New Hampshire Employment Security. While men saw a slightly greater drop between February and May, they have recovered more quickly and gained more jobs than women did between May and November. In an update from the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security, Director Brian Gottlob said the pandemic has highlighted the barriers to work that the cost and availability of child care can create, especially for women in New Hampshire. He wrote that improving access to child care “may, in fact, be one of the most effective stimuli available” to boost the state’s economic recovery. (Source: The Valley News)

4. Sununu Faces Moves to Weaken Future Emergency Powers. After taking unprecedented steps to cope with the pandemic, Gov. Chris Sununu now faces a multi-front campaign to check or weaken the governor’s power to deal with future emergencies. Much of that pushback is coming from Sununu’s own party. Fourteen bills in the 2021 legislative pipeline would alter the emergency powers of the governor or his chief subordinates, such as the commissioner of health and human services. All of them have Republican sponsors, which could portend better for their passage now that the GOP has control of both houses of the Legislature. Eleven of the bills’ 14 authors of these bills have resisted wearing masks at some point. One of the bills, HB63, which would refund all fines and annul criminal convictions for violations of pandemic-related orders after the state of emergency has ended, was given an “Ought to Pass” recommendation by an 11-10 vote two weeks ago. The vote was along party lines with all 11 Republican members of the committee voting to approve it and all ten Democratic members of the committee voting against it. (Source: Union Leader) Note: As a member of this committee, I voted against HB63 because the pandemic is far from over. Giving potential violators advance notice that they would effectively be given amnesty for violating public health orders would encourage violations, endanger the public, and hurt businesses that are following the rules to create a safe environment for their customers and employees. In other legislative news, public hearings were conducted Friday by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on several controversial bills, including three that would expand the state’s stand your ground law and create more circumstances under which the use of deadly force by citizens is allowable. You can read my summary here.

5. COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Headed to Pharmacies Nationwide. Shipments of COVID-19 vaccines will be heading to thousands of pharmacies across the country next week as part of a federal program aimed at getting people vaccinated more quickly. The vaccines will only be available to people who are eligible to be vaccinated under state guidelines. There are 21 national pharmacy retail partners taking part. In New Hampshire, state health officials confirmed that Walgreens will be offering vaccinations, but they couldn't say when those would begin. More information is coming next week. (Source: WMUR)

6. Jobless Claims Fall in NH. Unemployment claims in New Hampshire fell by nearly 14% last week even as federal claims filed by Granite Staters seem to be holding steady as the state’s economy finds a way to cope with Covid-19 this winter. While there were 2,896 initial state claims reported for the week ending Jan. 30, continuing claims – filed by people who are already collecting jobless benefits – fell as well. Some 27,638 continuing claims were filed in the week ending Jan. 23, 2% drop. (Source: NH Business Review)

7. NH State Revenues Continue to Surpass Expectations. Business and real estate tax revenue continues to drive state revenues above expectations for the fifth month in a row with the release of January’s data. However the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the hospitality and tourism industry as the state’s second largest revenue producer continues to lag well behind estimates for the month and the 2021 fiscal year. The state’s revenue stream also benefited from two large national lottery jackpots pushing the state revenues well above estimates, as were the revenues from real estate sales. For the fiscal year to date, the state received $434.2 million in business tax revenue, which is $78.5 million more than anticipated or 22 percent above plan, and $77.2 million more than a year ago. According to Department of Revenue Administration officials, the increase is primarily due to an increase in estimated payments and a decrease in refund payments. During the same period, the rooms and meals tax has produced $189.6 million, which is below plan by $54.7 million or 22.5 percent, and below last year’s revenues by $39.5 million. According to the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Audit released in December, the state ended the 2020 fiscal year with an $81.5 million deficit, which is less than anticipated in the midst of the pandemic. The deficit will have to be filled this fiscal year to have a balanced budget at the end of the biennium June 30, which may be possible with better than anticipated revenues for the first half of the year or by tapping some of the $115 million in the state’s rainy day fund. (Source: NH Business Review)

8. UNH Cancels Overseas Programs. The University of New Hampshire has canceled overseas programs for this summer and the fall, citing uncertainty about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the emergence of new variants of the virus and restrictions on U.S. travel. The decision was announced Jan. 27 by the UNH Global office and the Education Abroad team. “We thought it would be important to be transparent and send this message at the beginning of the semester, so that students can plan accordingly,” said Leonie Meijer, interim director of education abroad. (Source: Seacoast Online)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 6, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Saturday, February 6

Friday’s vaccination update from the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services reveals that about 64% of the vaccine doses New Hampshire has received have found their way into actual arms. This is on-par with the national average among states of 65%. While all states are now higher than 54%, some smaller states—like North Dakota (95.9%) and Connecticut (75.2%)have used a much higher percentage of their supply. Some larger states like New York (66%) are also catching up. (Graphic: N.H. DHHS)

On Friday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced six additional deaths from COVID-19 and 500 new positive test results. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related New Hampshire news you need to know to start your Saturday.

1. NH Vaccine Update: 3% of NH Residents Are Now Completely Vaccinated. Restricted by tight supplies, glitches with the federal appointment system, and time-consuming procedures required to thaw and prepare the two available vaccines for individual doses, the pace of vaccinations in New Hampshire remains slow. According to the most recent report by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the state has administered a total of 157,404 doses—an average of just over 5,100 doses per day since the vaccines first became available. As of Friday, about 3% of state residents have received both required doses and 8.3% have received their first dose. The state has received 245,375 doses to date, meaning that about 64% of the doses the state has received so far have actually found their way into arms. That’s in line with the national average of 65%, but well behind states like Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont. Nationally, a seven day average of 1.3 million shots are now being administered each day—a number that has been ticking up slowly through January and into February. President Biden has promised to boost that number to 1.5 million doses per day and the possible approval of emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine promises to increase supplies of available doses. (Sources: N.H. DHHS, Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, New York Times Vaccine Tracker, WMUR)

2. Six More Granite Staters Die From COVID-19 as Hospitalizations Dip Below 200 for Second Time in 2021. State health officials said four of the deaths were associated with long-term care facilities. Five were people age 60 or older, while one was younger than 60. The fatalities bring the state’s death toll for the pandemic up to 1,091. Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have dipped to 198, marking the second time this year that number has gone below 200. There are 4,062 known cases of COVID-19 in New Hampshire, a decrease of 37 from Thursday. Health officials also announced 500 new positive cases of COVID-19. (Sources: WMUR and N.H.DHHS)

3. Two Deaths Reported in Edgewood Centre COVID-19 Outbreak. Edgewood Centre administrator Patricia Cummings said Friday two residents have died from the coronavirus as the facility battles an ongoing outbreak. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Service’s Thursday report said that the Edgewood Centre’s outbreak has increased to a total of 48 total coronavirus cases, 28 of them residents. The facility’s resident cases alone total over one-third of active cases in Portsmouth, which the DHHS listed as having 65 total cases. In a positive sign for the Edgewood Centre, the administrator said Friday, there has not been a new resident virus case in nine days. (Source: Seacoast Online)

4. Experimental COVID-19 Treatment Appears to Help Residents of Berlin Long-Term Care Facility. long-term care facility in Berlin is praising an experimental treatment with helping residents during a COVID-19 outbreak. About half of the residents of St. Vincent Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Berlin fell ill in an outbreak of COVID-19 about three weeks ago. Officials decided to offer the monoclonal antibody treatment bamlanivimab, or bam, which has been given emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Officials said that after conversations with the residents and their families, 25 of 34 people eligible for the treatment chose to take it, and with the exception of one patient, all stopped getting worse, and many started feeling better. "It's anecdotal at this point," said Jeff Lacroix, of St. Vincent Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. "However, it does seem to signify things have been effective, and based on the response the residents have been exhibiting, I'm very happy." (Source: WMUR)

5. NH House Speaker Says N.H. House Will Meet In Person, Despite COVID Concerns. New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard has announced plans for the 400-member House to meet in person later this month, though he declined to disclose the precise location. In a notice to lawmakers Friday, Packard said the House is planning to meet on Feb. 23 and 24 in a 55,000 square foot venue that is heated and equipped with contagion-reducing HVAC equipment. Last year, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature could meet remotely without violating the state constitution. But in his notice to lawmakers, Packard reiterated his view that without a specific rule permitting remote meetings — which the House has so far declined to enact — lawmakers must gather in person. “There is no plug and play solution,” Packard wrote. “Just as no viable solution was identified in the first eight months of the pandemic, no viable solution has been identified in the two months since Organization Day.” House Democrats have repeatedly urged Republican leaders to consider a remote system for House sessions, given the risk of COVID-19 transmission and the age of the Legislature, many of whose members are in their 70s and 80s. (Source: NHPR) In-person legislative sessions have also been a source of controversy in other states. Since the start of this year, more than 50 state lawmakers in roughly one-third of the states already have fallen ill with the virus, according to an Associated Press tally. More than 350 state legislators have gotten COVID-19 since the pandemic began, including seven who died after contracting it. Republican lawmakers have had a disproportionate share of the cases, according to the AP's data. (Source: NECN) In New Hampshire, the newly-elected Speaker of the House, Rep. Dick Hinch, died shortly after falling ill with COVID-19 in December. The precise number of New Hampshire legislators who have tested positive for the virus is unknown because Gov. Sununu maintains it is a “privacy” issue despite the fact that case count and death numbers are being released weekly for nursing homes and other congregate living facilities.

6. With Patience and Education, Confidence in Vaccine Improving. In early January, some healthcare providers reported a third of their staffs were opting out of the COVID-19 vaccine, a number concerning to some health officials, especially as new, more contagious mutations of the virus spread around the United States. U.S health officials have warned that as the virus becomes more contagious, 70% to 90% of the population might need to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity. Now, employers in the healthcare industry say that number is improving. With education and patience, many of the same fears and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine have been allayed. David Ross, an administrator at Hillsborough County Nursing Home said 60% of the facility’s staff have now been vaccinated. Last week, during the home’s second vaccine clinic nearly 40 staff, who had previously declined the shot, decided to start the vaccine series. Even more staff members have already asked about starting the vaccine series during the third clinic in mid-February. “We were thrilled,” Ross said. “For many of our staff, the risk of COVID itself has greatly outweighed any vaccine hesitancy.” (Source: Concord Monitor)

7. Volunteer Drivers Offer Rides To Vaccination Clinics In Rural Parts Of N.H. Not everyone owns or has access to a car—a problem in a state where some vaccination centers are a 20-60 minute ride away for residents with appointments. With public transportation extremely limited in more rural parts of the state, Community Volunteer Transportation Company, which provides rides to grocery stores and medical appointments to residents in 34 Monadnock Region towns, is now also offering rides to vaccination clinics. Another group, Volunteers Enabling Transportation, is also offering rides to vaccination clinics. (Source: NHPR)

8. NH Fiscal Policy Institute Highlights Impact of COVID on Food Insecurity. Trends from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute suggest that New Hampshire’s food insecure households recovered from the Great Recession slower than the rest of the nation – a trend that has worsened in the state as complications from the coronavirus crisis continue to arise. NHFPI hosted a virtual event Feb. 3 featuring guest speakers from the New Hampshire Food Bank and New Hampshire Hunger Solutions in an effort to understand trends of food security in the midst of the pandemic. The presentation highlighted New Hampshire residents’ ongoing struggles with food insecurity and endeavors to combat the issue. Data compiled by NHFPI suggests that food insecurity levels vary among certain family compositions: homes where the house-holder identifies as Black or Hispanic, families with young children and families that rent their home tend to have higher poverty rates in New Hampshire. Rising unemployment due to COVID-19 is also increasing the number of people in a household as family members lean on each other to cope with trying times - whether it’s siblings moving in together, children moving back in with parents, or parents moving back in with children. NHFPI policy analyst Michael Polizzotti said COVID-19 continues to increase levels of food insecurity in New Hampshire. The key to mitigating that increase, he said, is providing aid to those most impacted by the crisis, such as low-wage earners who are limited in their income growth. (Source: Concord Monitor)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 5, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Friday, February 5

While new case numbers in New Hampshire have steadily declined in recent weeks, deaths from COVID-19 remain stubbornly high. (Source: CovidActNow)

On Thursday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced 9 additional deaths and 433 new cases of COVID-19. Here is the rest of the coronavirus-related New Hampshire news you need to know to start your Friday.

1. Nine More Residents Die from COVID-19. State health officials announced the deaths of nine more Granite Staters from COVID-19 or virus-related conditions on Thursday, bringing New Hampshire's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,085. According to state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan, today's report is on par with the past week, during which 63 residents have died. The state also announced 433 new positive test results for COVID-19 Thursday. According to Chan, the average number of newly-identified cases has hovered between 400 and 450 in the last week, which he says is a significant decrease from previous weeks. The state is currently tracking 4,099 active coronavirus cases, and 209 residents are hospitalized with the virus. (Source: NHPR and N.H. DHHS)

2. Edgewood Center Logs First COVID Fatality. While the number of active outbreaks in New Hampshire congregate living facilities declined this week from 32 to 26 in the N.H. Department of Health and Human Service’s latest update, there was sad news for Portsmouth as Edgewood Center recorded its first death of the pandemic. The state’s report also listed 28 active cases among Edgewood residents and 20 among the nursing home’s staff—up from 21 resident causes and 15 staff cases last week. The resident cases at Edgewood make up roughly a third of Portsmouth’s 65 active cases. New on this week’s outbreak list is the Sullivan Country House of Corrections with 33 inmate cases and 8 staff cases. Currently, the state’s three largest known outbreaks are also at New Hampshire jails and prisons. The NH State Men’s Prison leads the state with 260 inmate and 75 staff cases followed by the Strafford Country Jail (127 inmates, 17 staff), and the Hillsborough County House of Corrections (112 inmates, 54 staff). (Source: N.H. DHHS)

3. State to Automatically Schedule 2nd Shot for Those Getting Their First. Starting Sunday, residents receiving the COVID-19 vaccine will leave with a confirmed appointment for their second dose, bypassing a glitch-prone federal website that has created headaches since Tuesday. Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Gov. Chris Sununu also said Thursday that the state expects to receive enough vaccine by the end of March to inoculate 400,000 residents—about 30% of all state residents. Next week, the state will receive 21,400 vaccines, a small bump up from what it has been getting recently, according to Dr. Beth Daly, director of the state’s Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. But Sununu said the state’s weekly allocation of 20,000 doses should double within a month.The procedural change for appointments spares the public from multiple contacts with the federal Vaccines Administrative Management System (VAMS), which abruptly shut down last Tuesday and kept 25,000 Granite Staters from getting earlier second-dose times. In many cases, the system canceled second-dose appointments the residents already had. “The citizens of New Hampshire should not be asked to come back in and deal with this very difficult system,” Sununu said at his weekly COVID-19 briefing. “We are going to set that up and make sure that is in the system. We will take care of scheduling the rest.” (Source: Union Leader)

4. Johnson & Johnson Requests FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Its One-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine. Johnson & Johnson submitted paperwork Thursday requesting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults. The FDA announced later in the evening that its advisory committee will meet Feb. 26 to discuss the application. The agency is expected to authorize the vaccine within a few days of that meeting, making it the third available to the American public. J&J announced last week that its vaccine was 72% effective in a U.S. trial, though it was less effective among people in Latin America and South Africa, bringing overall effectiveness down to 66%. That compares to findings last year that vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that their vaccines would be more than 94% effective. Federal officials have said, however, that the trials are not directly comparable because they were conducted at different points in the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the J&J vaccine requires only one shot instead of the two required of the other two authorized vaccines, people will be considered protected within two weeks of receiving their injection. (Source: USA Today) Another reason why public health officials are looking forward to new vaccines is the potential to administer them faster and in higher numbers during vaccination clinics. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines need to be thawed out at room temperature and prepared on-site—an involved process that involves monitoring the vaccine as it thaws, swirling but not shaking it, filling individual needles, and using up doses that are good for only six hours once thawed. This makes the number of people that can be vaccinated on manpower—not just vaccines supplies. It also sets up a race against the clock—especially when compared to flu vaccines which can last as long as 1,000 hours. (Source: Kaiser Health News)

5. NH Health Official Says State is Preparing for Infectious Variants. As potentially more infectious variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 arrive in the U.S. from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, public health officials are preparing for them, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist said. “The variants are going to be the next big challenge in our response,” Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a virtual community conversation with Dartmouth College Provost Joseph Helble on Wednesday. If the variants are more infectious, Chan said that they could make it more difficult for health officials to prevent the virus’s spread. Laboratories in New Hampshire and elsewhere in the U.S. are working to step up their abilities to perform genetic sequencing on test samples in order to determine if and when these variants are present, he said. (Source: The Valley News)

6. Health Insurance Sign-ups to be Reopened This Month. Uninsured New Hampshire residents can buy health insurance through the federal marketplace during a special enrollment period starting in two weeks as the Biden administration rejuvenates the Affordable Care Act after years of cutbacks. Biden's recent executive order will reopen enrollment on the federal ACA exchanges at HealthCare.gov from Feb. 15 to May 15. The regular enrollment period for coverage this year, which had been shortened by former President Trump as part of his opposition to what is often called Obamacare, ended Dec. 15, 2020. (Source: Concord Monitor)

7. Cinemagic Temporarily Closes All Theaters, Including Those in New Hampshire. Cinemagic Stadium Theaters is temporarily closing all of its locations, including three in New Hampshire. There are also theaters in Maine and Massachusetts. The theater chain wrote on Facebook that the plan is to reopen theaters in the spring, calling the closures "intermission." The company did not provide a specific reopening date. All movie theaters in New Hampshire temporarily closed in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Some reopened over the summer, including Cinemagic, with limits on guests and other changes to maintain distancing. (Source: WMUR)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 4, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Thursday, February 4

(Source: Centers for Disease Control)

New Hampshire public health officials reported ten additional deaths and 354 new positive test results for COVID-19 Wednesday. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Thursday.

1. Ten Additional Deaths As New Cases Statewide Dip to Lowest Levels Since Mid-November. Ten more Granite Staters have died of COVID-19 even as the current number of known cases in the state continues to fall, health officials said Wednesday. Of the 10 people who fell victim to the virus, all were 60 or older. There have been 1,076 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in New Hampshire since the pandemic began. New cases continue to trend downward. There were 354 positive test results reported and a total of 4,081 current known cases of COVID-19 in the state, the lowest number since Nov. 19, when there were 4,006. Hospitalizations remained fairly steady, with 207 people currently hospitalized in New Hampshire for COVID-19. (Source: N.H. DHHS) The three communities in the state with the most active cases are Manchester (382), Nashua (306), and Rochester (142). Portsmouth has 61 active cases.

2. Patience Wears Thin as Vaccination Scheduling Problems Continue. Many Granite Staters are continuing to express frustration with the system used by the state to schedule their second vaccination dose. Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday that everyone eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1B will receive the second vaccine dose within a week of the recommended date. But after massive problems with the scheduling system this week, many Granite Staters said they don't have confidence in the system. Some called News 9 in tears, while others used profanity in their emails. Many said they don't want to be told again to be patient. "Very frustrated. There is no place to turn," said Neal Crossland, of Hudson. "There's no answer, nobody out there to help you. You're on your own." Earlier this week, vaccine recipients were told to cancel their second appointments that were scheduled outside of the recommended timeframe. They were assured that a bevy of earlier slots would pop up on the scheduling website, only to watch other problems arise. The 211 call center then crashed. "Other states give second appointments at the same time," said Julie Crossland, of Hudson. "Why are thousands of people waiting in line? They know we've gotten the first one." (Source: WMUR)

3. New Hampshire Plans to Ditch Federal Vaccine Scheduling System to Speed Up Second Doses—But Not For Several More Weeks. The state expects to bring its own online vaccine registration system online in a few weeks in place of the trouble-prone federal CDC VAMS system. Today, Gov. Chris Sununu told the Executive Council that despite ongoing glitches with the system, anyone who has received their first shot will be able to schedule an appropriately spaced second shot in the next few days as more appointment times are added. "The federal system couldn't handle the influx we were giving it, so we're sort of spoon-feeding it bit by bit," he said. Sununu said the state plans to discontinue use of the federal system before the next phase begins. (Source: Seacoast Online) New Hampshire is one of a handful of states that uses the VAMS system. More than 40 other states ultimately opted not to use VAMS and instead built or contracted out their own systems for scheduling appointments. State officials declined to respond to a list of specific questions about why New Hampshire chose to use VAMS in the first place. But New Hampshire may not have had any other choice because of a unique gap in the state’s existing public health system: New Hampshire remains the only state in the country without a fully functioning vaccine registry. In December 2019, the same month a novel coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China, New Hampshire’s Executive Council approved a $1.5 million grant to again build a statewide vaccine registry. However, the system still isn’t fully functional, making New Hampshire the lone state without a vaccine registry in place. (Source: NHPR) The VAMS system itself is the product of a $16 million no-bid contract awarded by the Trump administration last May to Deloitte, a massive consulting firm. In December, the firm received a $28 million contract increase. The CDC touted VAMS as an “easy-to-use, secure, online tool to manage vaccine administration from the time the vaccine arrives at a clinic to when it is administered to a recipient.” (Source: Union Leader) But despite the fact the system is operating with only a fraction of the utilization it was designed for, it remains bug-prone and temperamental. The explanation for how Deloitte, a firm with no direct experience in the field, could be the only approved source for a product like VAMS comes down to onerous federal contracting requirements. They often require a company to have a long history of federal contracts, which blocks smaller or newer companies that might be a better fit for the task. Those inefficiencies are magnified in the health sector. America’s heavily privatized medical system was held together by duct tape and bubble gum long before the biggest public health crisis of our lifetimes.“The health-care software industry is enormous, and it exists largely because it’s privatized, it’s not standardized,” says Derrick Stone, a software development manager at UVA Health in Virginia. “There are a lot of free-market inefficiencies. And the country doesn’t have a public health infrastructure, so there isn’t any real drive to fix it.” (Source: MIT Technology Review)

4. Another Inmate Seeks Release from Valley Street Jail, Citing COVID-19 Fears. Although the number of COVID-19 cases at the Valley Street jail has plummeted, a Manchester resident claiming to have asthma was in court on Tuesday seeking release over fears of coronavirus. Lawyers for Manchester resident Hector Castro, 37, queried the jail's head nurse, Denise Hartley, for more than two hours Tuesday about the jail's response to COVID-19. Judges have freed at least three inmates from the jail, most with serious medical problems, when the disease was running rampant through the jail. (Source: Union Leader) The state is expected to issue an update later today on the status of outbreaks at New Hampshire congregate living facilities, which include nursing homes, assistant living centers, drug treatment facilities, prisons, and jails, such as Valley Street.

5. Late Bill Introduced to Help Shield NH Businesses from State Taxes on PPP Funds. Two months before tax day, New Hampshire lawmakers are racing to pass legislation to protect businesses from paying state taxes on Paycheck Protection Program funds. A late bill submitted by Sen. Jeb Bradley, a Wolfeboro Republican, would exempt businesses from paying the state’s business profits tax and business enterprise tax on any money they received through the federal program. First established by Congress in the CARES Act in March, the Paycheck Protection Program is now in its third round. It has provided loans to businesses during the pandemic, and forgives those loans if the businesses spend a majority of the money on payroll. Because New Hampshire is still tied by statute to the 2018 IRS guidelines, those PPP loans currently count as income and can be taxed at 7.7%. Legislators are past the deadline to file new bills for 2021, but on Tuesday, the Senate Rules and Enrolled Bills Committee voted unanimously to allow Bradley’s bill in late. He said that he hoped it would be fast tracked and passed through the Senate quickly. (Source: Concord Monitor)

6. Bankruptcy Filings Continue Their Record Lows in New Hampshire. This year started where 2020 finished, with another bankruptcy record. Some 56 New Hampshire individuals and businesses filed for bankruptcy in January, the lowest number seen in any January – indeed, any month – since January 1988. The total was 11 fewer than December 2020 and four fewer than November 2020. The low number of bankruptcies persists despite the resurgence of the pandemic in December and January and the state’s relatively high unemployment, particularly in the hospitality industry, with some restaurants and hotels going into hibernation following a muted Christmas. Bankruptcy filings in the state have been in the double digits for 10 straight months, dropping in April just after the pandemic first struck and after a generation of monthly bankruptcy filings in the hundreds. For months, bankruptcy attorneys have predicted an increase in filings, but that hasn’t happened. Businesses and individuals, bolstered by federal and state aid and sheltered from most evictions and foreclosures, have managed to hang on, with the hope of future assistance or an easing of the pandemic as the vaccine rollout continues. (Source: NH Business Review)

7. Conway Town Manager has COVID, Shutting Town Hall. The old town hall in Center Conway was shut down Wednesday due to a case of COVID-19, said Conway Town Manager Tom Holmes, who confirmed that he has tested positive for the virus. Although the town has migrated most of its functions, including the Department of Public Works offices and selectmen’s meeting room, to the new town hall at 29 Main St. in Conway Village, the 1830s-built old town hall located at 1634 East Main St. in Center Conway is still being used by some municipal offices, such as the town clerk/tax collector. Holmes has his office there. “Due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19 at the Center Conway location, Town Hall in Center Conway will be closed until further notice,” Holmes said in an email. Conway Selectmen’s Chair Dave Weathers said town staff are getting tested twice. Those who have two negative tests in five days can come back to work in seven days. Asked what this means for the selectmen’s meeting next week, Holmes said it depends on how many employees come back positive. (Source: Conway Daily Sun)

8. Dartmouth Plans In-Person Graduation, with Big Restrictions. Dartmouth College plans to hold an in-person commencement on campus in June this year, but attendance will be limited to graduating seniors only, Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon said Tuesday. The ceremony will be streamed live online for family members and other guests to view, Hanlon wrote in a Tuesday email to the Class of 2021. “Continued travel and quarantine restrictions and the lack of global availability of a COVID-19 vaccine necessitate this decision,” Hanlon wrote. Participation in the event also will require testing, quarantining, masking and social distancing, he said. (Source: The Valley News) Meanwhile, the college is also planning to sharply curtail study abroad programs. “Some cuts seem to have been kind of snuck in as related to the pandemic but are actually related to budget issues that the College has had for years,” said Russian professor Ainsley Morse, who also sits on the department committee that runs off-campus programs. But the associate dean for international studies and interdisciplinary programs Dennis Washburn, said budgetary issues have been present since the economic downturn in 2007 and 2008. He added that while the number of programs offered since 2008 has increased, student enrollment in programs has declined. (Source: The Dartmouth)

9. Portsmouth Health Officer: Stay Vigilant Before COVID Variants Hit. City health officials stressed the importance of following COVID-19 protocols as people are getting vaccinated but before the variants of the virus believed to be more contagious hit the area. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Health, Portsmouth health officer Kim McNamara stated, "We are in that window between adequate vaccinations of our population … before hopefully the variants become widespread.” McNamara said the COVID-19 vaccines are “still thought to be effective against these variants.” But she stressed the need to take advantage of this window to “double down on the message” about urging people to follow the COVID-19 protocols, including talking mask wearing. “If even they play nice at this point and time we could be out of this for everybody much sooner,” (Source: Seacoast Online)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 3, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Wednesday, February 3

On Monday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced seven additional deaths and 328 cases as hospitalizations ticked up slightly. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related New Hampshire news you need to know to start your Tuesday.

1. New Cases Continue to Fall As Hospitalizations Tick Up and Seven More Granite Staters Fall Victim to COVID-19. All of the seven residents who died were age 60 or older, officials said. There have been 1,066 deaths linked to COVID-19 in New Hampshire since the pandemic began. There were also 328 new positive test results for COVID-19, and the state has a PCR test positivity rate of 2.7%. That's the fewest new cases reported in a single day since Nov. 22, but the state is still processing a backlog of cases, so that number could change. The number of known cases in the state continues to decline. At 4,222, current cases are at the lowest point since Nov. 21. Health officials said there are 202 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in New Hampshire. (Sources: WMUR and N.H. DHHS)

2. 'This is On Them': Residents Express Frustration With Second Dose Appointment Issues. State officials are apologizing for a botched rollout of a new effort to get COVID-19 vaccine recipients their second doses in an approved time frame, as many residents say they still aren’t able to book second appointments within the CDC’s recommended 42-day window. Last week, the state announced it would release additional appointments for those seeking a second dose on Tuesday. But when the federal VAMS website went live at 8 a.m. this morning, many residents were unable to find earlier options. “I stayed up all night, I woke up every hour on the hour because I’m afraid of oversleeping and I’m kind of a nervous nelly, and I went in, and I felt like there was a piranha eating up the dates,” said Diane Freedman of Durham. Freedman had to forfeit her March 26 second appointment in order to search for a new option. She wound up only able to book an even later appointment--April 1--extending her window in between doses to more than nine weeks. (Source: NHPR) Perry Plummer, who is leading the state's vaccination program, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's VAMS website went down, so New Hampshire pages couldn't be seen. Plummer said the state is working on the issue and said people should keep trying. "The appointments are there. The doses are there for you. Don't panic," Plummer said. "I know it's inconvenient, and we totally apologize for that. We were hoping it would go very smoothly." Plummer said the state is working to build its own system as it moves into other phases of the vaccine rollout. (Source: WMUR)

3. Criticism Mounts About NH COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout. Facing mounting criticism about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Gov. Chris Sununu responded with no new details and an emailed comment from Perry Plummer, who is in charge of the vaccine distribution. On Tuesday, state Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, called on Sununu to open an investigation into what went wrong with the opening of the vaccine portal. “Many of the Granite Staters registering today are elderly and were counting on the state’s system to work. Instead, they are anxious and upset, forced to deal with technical issues and canceled appointments, putting them further away from getting the lifesaving vaccine,” Rosenwald said. Sununu’s spokesman Ben Vihstadt didn’t respond when provided links to the New York Times accounting of the vaccine rollout showing 60 percent of received doses have been administered in New Hampshire and 7.4 percent of the population has received at least one shot. Becker’s Hospital Review ranks New Hampshire 39th out of all the states for the 60 percent of vaccine having been administered. Maine had 8.4 percent of the population vaccinated and 69 percent of the vaccine administered, and Vermont 8.6 percent of the population vaccinated and 73 percent of the doses administered, the Times reported. (Source: InDepthNH)

4. Biden Boosting Vaccine Allotments, Sending Vaccines Shipments Directly to Pharmacies. President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday that it is moving to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, freeing up more doses for states and beginning to distribute them to retail pharmacies next week. The push comes amid new urgency to speed vaccinations to prevent the spread of potentially more serious strains of the virus that has killed more than 445,000 Americans. Starting next week, 1 million doses will be distributed to some 6,500 pharmacies across the country, the White House said. The administration is also boosting by 500,000 the weekly allocation of vaccines sent directly to states and territories for the coming weeks, up to 10.5 million. It is allowing state and local governments to receive additional federal dollars to cover previously incurred expenses relating to the pandemic. (Source: NECN)

5. NH Task Force Report Casts Doubt on Sununu’s Push for Full Return to In-Person Learning in Schools. A group made up of prominent New Hampshire scientists, epidemiologists, and physicians says Gov. Sununu is not taking into account the danger of widespread community transmission in his push to fully reopen state schools for in-person learning. According to the New Hampshire Science and Public Health Task Force, widespread community transmission greatly increases the risk of transmission in schools. In a report, the group said that according to CDC metrics, 129 of 234 New Hampshire towns are at the highest risk of transmission in schools, 82 are at higher risk of transmission, and four towns are at moderate risk. Nineteen towns indicate a low risk for transmission in schools based on CDC risk thresholds. The report concludes that if schools are reopened or remain open, 94 of the 100 SAUs are at risk of spreading higher rates of COVID19 to lower case rate towns. While the 14 day case rate is decreasing, the group notes that more transmission COVID variants are on the way and that some communities still have high rates of community transmission—making transmission in reopened schools likely. While acknowledging the need to bring as many students back to the classroom as possible, the group recommends school closures in communities with high levels of transmission and six steps to lower the risk in schools where the risk of community spread is low to moderate. They include mask-wearing, air ventilation and filtration measures, reducing classroom sizes, shortening time spent in class, and vaccinating teachers in Phase 1B. (Source: NH Science and Public Health Task Force)

6. FEMA to Reimburse NH Cities and Towns for COVID-19 Expenses. The Biden Administration signed a memo Tuesday directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse cities and towns 100% of COVID-19 related expenses. The move comes after FEMA abruptly changed course last summer, notifying Manchester and other municipalities they would not be reimbursed for the cost of COVID-19 supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies for schools, police and fire departments, and other critical public safety services. Such purchases made by the Manchester School District alone totaled roughly $11.3 million, according to city officials. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas cosponsored legislation in the fall to address the situation and called on FEMA to change course. “This is an incredibly important development for New Hampshire school districts, cities, and towns as they continue to be on the front lines of this pandemic,” said Pappas. “It never should have come to this, but I’m pleased that, after months of advocacy, our communities aren’t going to be stuck with the check from the federal government.“ (Source: Union Leader)

7. NH Legislature Considers More Renter Protection in COVID Pandemic. Some renters facing eviction during the coronavirus pandemic would get extra time to come up with cash under a bill that received a public hearing on Tuesday before a House committee.The measure sponsored by Rep. Casey Conely, D-Dover, would require courts to pause eviction cases for 30 days if the renter has applied for help from a federal, state or local housing assistance program. “This 30-day period just gives people facing eviction this narrow window to pursue this support before they lose their home,” he told the House Judiciary Committee. “It’s a temporary, critical lifeline for tenants facing financial difficulties during the pandemic.” While there is a federal eviction ban in place, that will expire in March. Conley said his goal is to address the uncertainty around that ban, as well as the lengthy process of applying for assistance. The next round of federal virus relief funding will include $200 million for rental and utility help in New Hampshire, but those programs have yet to be set up. Nick Norman of the Apartment Association of New Hampshire spoke against the bill. “We don’t think there needs to be anything else to confuse the eviction process. This is very late to the party. Vaccines are coming out, the $200 million is coming out. We have landlords that are suffering from tenants that have not paid rent since February of last year. It’s just ridiculous,” he said. (Source: Associated Press)

8. Seacoast Restuarants in Hibernation Eye Spring Comeback. The majority of Seacoast restaurants remain open this winter as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, whether it’s for indoor dining or takeout only. In early December, though, came a series of announcements from some restaurants they were closing until spring, “hibernating” until outdoor dining can open once again. Dozens of restaurant owners made the decision to “hibernate” either before the holidays or just after. But with the promise of springtime only two months away, plans for reopening are being formulated. While opening dates are open-ended, “hibernating” restaurateurs are looking to the city of Portsmouth and other municipalities for guidance on when they’ll be able to open for outdoor dining again. In the meantime, they can save money on payroll, utilities and food and drink inventory as well as have a clearer idea as to what each month’s costs will be. Downtime comes with a chance to revitalize, refresh and renew, and that’s just what David Takis plans for his downtown Portsmouth restaurant, The District. Takis said he’s seen lifestyle changes that make the timing ripe for a rebrand. “Our menus are going to become healthier, a little lighter, a little more casual, a little more approachable. Now is the time to do it, to stay sustained in the business going forward. The expansion of our side patio there on Vaughan Mall was a huge help. Now, we can put the business in the best place to succeed and by doing that, our employees will succeed as well.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

9. Seacoast Teen’s COVID “Long-Hauler” Symptoms Have Lasted for Months. For some people, maladies related to COVID-19 linger long after the most serious symptoms have subsided. Doctors diagnose "Long COVID" for those who should have cleared the virus yet are experiencing post-COVID syndrome, a duration of symptoms lasting weeks, even months, after they had been infected with and recovered from the coronavirus. Laney Provencher, 17, of Rochester, believes she contracted COVID-19 through her job as an LNA (licensed nursing assistant) at a local nursing home. A rapid test confirmed on Dec. 6, that she was positive for COVID-19. While she had to go to the emergency room twice in the initial stages of her illness, she ended up in the ER again with symptoms including vomiting. Her labs again were still 'off', her blood sugar was high, and she gained quite a bit of weight even though she’s had a huge decrease in appetite. After looking at her labs, she now has to follow up with an endocrinologist as issues with hormones are now suspected. Provencher said her biggest complaint now is fatigue. Dr. David Itkin, infectious disease specialist at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, said people with more specific symptoms should be evaluated by their primary care physician and, if needed, referred to the proper specialist, like a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, pulmonary doctor, or an infectious disease doctor, to rule out any other cause for the symptoms the patient is experiencing. Itkin said continued health complaints seem fairly common in cases of COVID-19. “Looking out as far as six months, we are seeing a surprising number of people with a variety of symptoms. Fatigue seems to be the most common complaint, with about 63% reporting that as a continuing event following the coronavirus. Others are sleep disturbances, including insomnia, breathing difficulties, stomach issues, constipation, gastric motility, migraines, muscle aches, brain fog and even allergic reactions.” (Source: Seacoast Online)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 2, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Tuesday, February 2

Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is increasing in New Hampshire along with the willingness to be vaccinated. But almost half of those surveyed indicated less confidence in whether the vaccines will be effective against COVID-19 mutations. (Source: Granite State Poll, UNH Survey Center)

State vaccination sites are closed today because of the storm. Here is the rest of the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your snowy Tuesday.

1. Hospitalizations Dip Below 200 As COVID-19 Numbers Continue Downward Trend. Two more Granite Staters have died of COVID-19 while hospitalizations have reached their lowest level since early December, health officials said Monday. Both deaths were people age 60 or older, and one was associated with a long-term care facility, officials said. There have been 1,059 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic. There are 193 people hospitalized in New Hampshire for COVID-19. That's the lowest number of hospitalizations since Dec. 7, when there were 185. The numbers released on Monday also show 364 new positive cases of COVID-19 and a PCR test positivity rate of 5.2%—a significant jump that bears watching. There are currently 4,662 known cases of COVID-19 in the state, down from 4,886 on Sunday. (Sources: WMUR and N.H. DHHS)

2. Snow Storm Closes N.H. Vaccination Sites. On Monday with the storm bearing down, state health officials were busy rescheduling appointments at state vaccination sites. The thirteen state vaccination sites are closed today because of the storm. The state’s two COVID testing sites in Concord and Londonderry will also be closed Tuesday. As of Friday, New Hampshire has administered 119,503 doses, a little more than half of the doses available. According to statistics from the CDC, the Granite State ranks 20th when it comes to the number of doses administered compared to its population. (Source: Concord Monitor)

3. Appointments to Schedule Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Now Open. Granite Staters who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are now able schedule appointments for the second dose. The appointments will only be visible online to people eligible for the second dose. To schedule the appointment, visit vams.cdc.gov and use the same username and password you used to schedule your first dose. (Source: WMUR)

4. Extra Doses in Vaccine Vials Allow More Than 1,900 Additional Granite Staters to be Vaccinated. Nearly 2,000 more Granite Staters were able to get vaccinated this weekend than were scheduled because of an effort to make sure all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were used. The Pfizer vaccine vials are labeled for five doses, but it has become apparent to health workers that they could get six or sometimes seven doses out of one vial. The catch is that once the vials are thawed, the clock starts ticking. Statewide this weekend, 1,925 additional people were vaccinated. (Source: WMUR)

5. Who Gets Vaccine To Avoid Spoilage and Who Makes the Call? While avoiding unnecessary waste of vaccine doses is definitely a good thing, InDepthNH is raising questions this morning about Gov. Chris Sununu’s transparency when it comes to who is receiving them and the process for distributing them. After hitting a brick wall trying to get more information from Sununu spokesperson Ben Vihstadt and N.H. vaccine distribution chief Perry Plummer, reporter Nancy West finally got the answers to a few of her questions from a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services. According to an email from DHHS’s Jake Leon, there is no waiting list for doses. Each site called people living in its region who had scheduling difficulties in Phase 1b to invite them to get the vaccine. Leon said each site has a plan in place each day to contact people in their region eligible for a vaccine in 1b if there are extra doses available. “No doses are wasted,” he said. According to the article, while this explanation provides a general description of the process, it is not the full accounting of the protocol regarding who gets vaccine that might otherwise go to waste. (Source: InDepthNH) The issue of how to best handle extra doses of leftover vaccine has been an issue in other states. In addition to potential equity issues surrounding who may be getting vaccine that otherwise might be wasted, there are also reports of people in other parts of the country who hang out at pharmacies and vaccine centers in the hope of scoring a leftover dose—and wind up leaving with an injection. In states like California, so-called “vaccine chasers” have received coveted doses of the coronavirus vaccine outside their eligible phase by simply being in the right place at the right time. Los Angeles County, for example, has large mass vaccination centers but no official standby line. In the absence of an approved protocol to fairly distribute leftover doses, hundreds of “vaccine chasers” — young people, entire families, and even seniors unable to secure an appointment — have flocked to these sites with hopes of receiving an expiring shot. (Source: Vox)

6. More Granite Staters Likely to Get Vaccinated as Poll Shows Confidence in Vaccine Increasing—Except When It Comes to COVID Mutations. Three-quarters of New Hampshire residents now say they will almost certainly or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine or say they have already been vaccinated. According to poll results released on Monday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, Republicans are nearly twice as likely as they were in December to say they will get their shot when able. But Republicans remain far less likely to say so than Democrats. The poll also indicates that most people who remain unwilling to be vaccinated remain set in their opposition and say their minds won’t be changed by recommendations from public health experts, political figures, or their friends and family. Granite Staters are also expressing more confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine itself. Just under three quarters of New Hampshire residents say they are very or somewhat confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will stop them from getting sick with COVID-19. But only 51% are confident it will remain effective against COVID-19 mutations. (Source: Granite State Poll, UNH Survey Center)

7. N.H. Lawmakers Discuss Curbing Emergency Powers Of State Health Department. A New Hampshire House committee wants to give a legislative panel the power to overturn any emergency order issued by the state’s health commissioner. The proposal cleared the House’s Health and Human Services Committee by a 19-2 vote Monday. The bill’s lead sponsor, Wolfeboro Republican Rep. William Marsh, who is himself a retired physician, cited the role Nazi health officials played in the Holocaust as he introduced the bill. And he noted that emergency powers granted to the state’s health officials permit them to flout other laws. Several bills now before lawmakers aim to overturn or limit emergency action taken by Gov. Chris Sununu in response to the coronavirus. The bill approved Monday targets the actions by state Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette. It would require a two-thirds vote of a special legislative panel to overturn any emergency order issued by her office. Prior to the committee vote, the state health department’s top lawyer stressed that, while the department would welcome legislative feedback on executive orders, this bill goes too far. “There is a threat to this bill that would allow for orders to be overturned for essentially anything that the commissioner has responsibility for,” said Melissa St. Cyr, the health department’s chief legal officer. (Source: NHPR)

8. Legislators Push for New Hampshire to Buy Adult Vaccines to Save Money. Having the state purchase all adult vaccines could save $4 million a year and keep anyone up to 65 years old from having to pay for their shots, according to lawmakers pursuing this reform. State Rep. Jerry Knirk, D-Freedom, a retired physician, first offered this bill (HB 604) before the pandemic hit. The COVID-19 vaccine, which is free to the public, is not covered under the legislation. That likely will change when the Centers for Disease Control puts the coronavirus shot on the approved list of annual vaccines, which includes influenza, pertussis and diphtheria. “At some point they will not be free, then be put on the list, and then they would be covered under this bill,” Knirk said. This bill would require insurers to pay a per-person assessment to cover the cost of administering the adult vaccine program. Dr. Beth Daly, director of the state infectious disease control bureau, said the state would need $360,000 to hire four staffers to work with up to 400 new providers of vaccines for this population. “Increasing access of vaccines for adults is important because some of our immunity to vaccines we receive as a child wanes over time,” Daly said. (Source: Union Leader)

9. Maskless Meetings in Richmond Get OK from NH AG’s Office. After fielding a complaint from state Rep. Jennie Gomarlo, D-Swanzey, the N.H. Attorney General’s Office has concluded that Richmond selectboard meetings do not violate a state order requiring mask-wearing in public spaces. Prompted by an email from Gomarlo, whose district includes Richmond, the review by Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards found that despite not wearing masks during their meetings, board members comply with the order by maintaining physical distancing. Gomarlo told The Sentinel in an email Monday that Edwards’ conclusion reveals that “there is actually no teeth behind the mandate ….” She added, however, that “it sounds like the board and staff have done what they can” to improve public safety, including searching for a larger space to hold Richmond’s March 13 town meeting and exploring whether to stream meetings via Zoom. Despite Edwards' conclusion, some community members are concerned that the lack of mask-wearing at selectboard meetings may reduce participation by people worried about contracting the coronavirus. Richmond residents Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, both of whom are over 70, said that silencing effect may extend to other public meetings, which they said selectmen often attend unmasked. “People who believe in COVID-19 and think that it’s a real threat are going to be less likely either to follow what’s happening at the selectmen’s meetings or go to the zoning board,” Bloom said Monday. (Source: Keene Sentinel) While the Richmond meetings may be in compliance with the governor’s order, public health recommendations for avoiding the spread of the virus don’t stop at social distancing—especially in indoor settings. According the the CDC, social distancing should be practiced in combination with other everyday preventive actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, and frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. (Source: Centers for Disease Control)

10. Democrats Call for Baldasaro to be Disciplined for Not Wearing Mask. Democrats are calling for the speaker of the New Hampshire House to discipline a state representative who traveled out of state and then chaired a committee hearing in-person last week without a mask. Last week, state Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry, chaired the House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee meeting in-person without a mask immediately after returning from a trip to Florida. As a state representative, Baldasaro is considered an essential worker and is not required to quarantine. But rules did require him to be wearing some kind of personal protective equipment, and the House speaker's office eventually intervened to get him to wear a face shield. House Democrats believe Baldasaro should face some kind of reprimand. "I think the speaker should take action immediately to discipline Rep. Baldasaro for that," said House Democratic Leader Renny Cushing. "We have to set an example for the rest of the state of New Hampshire that we put public health and safety first." (Source: WMUR) Note: Like all state reps, Rep. Baldasaro had the option on Friday of joining his committee hearing remotely. But instead he chose to travel to Concord—and potentially put his colleagues at risk—by chairing the hearing in-person and maskless the day after returning. Also worth noting is that Florida trails only Texas and California when it comes to the number of current active COVID-19 cases. (Source: CDC)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – February 1, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Monday, February 1

According the the Kaiser Family Foundation, most U.S. adults who have not yet gotten vaccinated (94% of all adults) say they do not have enough information about when and where to get a COVID-19 vaccine once they are eligible. This includes six in ten Black and Hispanic adults who say they don’t have enough information about where to get the vaccine.In New Hampshire, you can see if you’re eligible to get vaccinated for COVID, register for an appointment, and get more information about the vaccination process at vaccines.nh.gov.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced 15 additional deaths and 369 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. Here is the pandemic-related state and regional news you need to know to start your Monday.

1. As New Cases and Hospitalizations Decline to Lowest Levels Since November, Deaths Remain a Constant. State health officials announced 369 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday , the lowest daily count since Thanksgiving, right before holiday-related travel and gatherings led to a surge of new infections across the state. Portsmouth is down to 67 active cases this morning and many other communities across the state are also reporting significant declines in active cases. But while case numbers and hospitalizations have been trending down in New Hampshire, the average daily death tally has remained relatively steady for several weeks as the seven-day average of new deaths has remained between eight and 10 since the second week in January. Two hundred people were reported to be hospitalized in New Hampshire due to COVID-19 Sunday. That's down from more than 330 a month ago. The fifteen new deaths reported yesterday bring the state’s death toll from COVID-19 up to 1,057. During the month of January, 298 Granite Staters died from COVID-19. This one-month total represents 28% of all New Hampshire deaths throughout the pandemic. (Sources: NHPR, WMUR, COVID Tracking Project, and N.H. DHHS)

2. NH School and Community Allocations for $156 Million in Federal COVID Aid Announced. The New Hampshire Department of Education has released school allocations from the $156 million in federal education funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Manchesterś total federal allocation was $37,007,295. New Hampshire was awarded an additional $156,065,807 in ESSER II funds through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, which provides an additional $54.3 billion for an ESSER II Fund. This new funding, in addition to the first award of $37.8 million received in the spring of 2020, is intended to help public schools in their continuing response to COVID, including safely reopening schools, assessing student learning, and other actions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on students and families. The two communities receiving the largest amounts of funding are Manchester ($37,007,395) and Nashua ($18,398,804). Portsmouth is receiving $1,956,290. Chartered public schools are also receiving funding. Since March, public schools in New Hampshire have received an additional $219 million in federal funding to assist in their response to COVID. (Source: Manchester Ink Link)

3. NH National Guard, Hospital Staff Hustled to Schedule Extra Appointments As Some Vaccine Doses Set to Expire. New Hampshire National Guard members helped make sure doses of COVID-19 vaccine did not go to waste over the weekend. They scheduled appointments for more than 1,100 doses of the vaccine set to expire during the weekend. The scheduling teams filled open time slots at sites across the state that extended hours to accommodate the extra appointments. At Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro, staff helped schedule and administer 100 doses of vaccine that were about to expire. The teams called high-risk patients to get them in for the extra appointments. As to why the vaccines were set to expire, Gov. Chris Sununu blamed over 1,000 no-shows, cancellations, and postponements. “Great job by our team ensuring that no vaccine would go to waste by quickly accelerating the vaccination schedule for many of our Phase 1B citizens across New Hampshire this weekend,” he said in a written statement. (Source: WMUR)

4. Despite Vaccinations, Hospital Staffing Woes Expected to Continue Even After Pandemic Ends. As more of New Hampshire’s health care workers are getting second doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, hospitals report they are still having trouble with staffing. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department reported last week that 17% of New Hampshire’s hospitals were short-staffed. New Hampshire Hospital Association spokeswoman Vanessa Stafford said hospital staffing has long been a challenge. During the pandemic, she said hospitals dealt with staff shortages by moving patients to different units in the hospital that were adequately staffed, or to other hospitals. “As we continue with the vaccine rollout and more staff receive their first and second doses, we are hopeful that staffing challenges will become less acute,” Stafford wrote in an email. But she said shortages of staff would likely be a problem for hospitals even after the pandemic. (Source: Union Leader)

5. Manchester Middle School to Go Remote After COVID-19 Cluster Confirmed. Manchester officials announced Sunday night the Middle School at Parkside will operate in remote learning status this coming week for all students, after health officials confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases. Despite one of the highest rates of community transmission in the state, Manchester schools returned to hybrid learning last week, after school board members voted earlier this year to revise the metric used to determine if students can attend school in-person or remotely. The metric, modeled after guidance released by the state in November, allows the district to make those decisions on a school-by-school basis, depending on the level of COVID-19’s impact. Under the metric, a school must move to remote learning for one week if a cluster of cases is confirmed. A cluster is defined as 3 or more cases in the same class or area of a school. (Source: Union Leader) This morning, the state’s COVID-19 Schools Dashboard was reporting one active case in the school and no active outbreaks as the state continues to struggle with making timely updates to the site.

6. Big Dreams. Big Stress for College-Bound Seniors. High school seniors are finding their learning experience is still hindered by a pandemic that has only worsened as they’ve grown in school. With an uncertain future resulting from the global rage of the coronavirus, the Class of 2021 now has to stare down another obstacle in an era marked by public health tribulations: choosing a college knowing that COVID-19 will likely hinder at least the first-year experience. The fall of 2020 semester saw a 2.5% decline in overall postsecondary enrollment from the year before, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported in December. This was achieved in large part by over 327,500 fewer incoming freshmen, a stunning drop of 13.1% from the fall of 2019. PHS college counselor Brittany Lind saw students walking back from their aspirations as the pandemic worsened, with many choosing schools closer to home. With college students last in line for the vaccine in many states, some are also considering taking a gap year to avoid paying regular tuition and room and board fees in a year when campus restrictions and remote learning are likely. (Source: Seacoast Online)

N.H. STATE DHHS COVID-19 DATA & RESOURCES

• Vaccine Eligibility, Schedule and Registration (register to make vaccination appointments here)

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – January 31, 2021

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

• NH DHHS COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

• What To Do If You Are Exposed

• Where to Get a Test

• What To Do If You Test Positive

OTHER DATA/METRICS SOURCES (SOME WITH N.H. DATA)

• Bloomberg News Vaccine Tracker

• KFF COVID Vaccine Attitudes Monitor

• The COVID Tracking Project

• NHPR COVID Tracking Project

• New York Times Interactive Vaccine Tracker

• New York Times N.H. COVID Maps and Charts

• John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center—NH Page

Previous Updates