Month: October 2021

Covid-19 news

As of Oct. 25 there were 3,295 active infections of Covid-19 statewide and 220 current hospitalizations. One additional death was announced on Oct. 25, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,544 since the start of the pandemic last year.

Last week the U.S. Food & Drug Administration greenlit the “mix-and-match” approach for Covid-19 booster shots in eligible individuals, or the receiving of shots from different manufacturers. According to an Oct. 25 report from WMUR, booster shots in New Hampshire are currently available for certain at-risk groups who previously received both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, including people over the age of 65 and people over the age of 18 with underlying medical conditions. For those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, boosters are recommended for all adults regardless of any risk factors. Boosters can be administered at least six months after the second Pfizer or Moderna dose, and at least two months after the Johnson & Johnson dose, according to the report. In New Hampshire, boosters are available through doctor’s offices, pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens and at weekly clinics in Manchester and Nashua. Visit vaccines.gov to book an appointment.

Several of New Hampshire’s largest health care systems, including Catholic Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, and SolutionHealth, the owner of Eliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health, issued a joint statement on Oct. 21 announcing mandatory Covid-19 vaccine policies for their organizations. “Each of our institutions has taken time to craft vaccine policies that achieve our shared goal of patient and staff safety while accommodating for medical and religious exemptions,” it read in part. “We are also confident that our policies will align with the forthcoming guidelines of the White House’s vaccine mandate for health care workers.”

Vaccine funding

On Oct. 25, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas, held a virtual press conference with health care stakeholders to talk about the consequences of the New Hampshire Executive Council’s decision to reject $27 million in federal vaccine funding. According to a press release, the delegation discussed how this move has hurt prevention efforts across the state as Covid cases and hospitalizations continue to surge. “New Hampshire is one of four states with the highest numbers of infection rates,” Shaheen said in the press conference. “We’ve done our jobs. The federal delegation got the money that the State of New Hampshire said it needed. And when the federal government wasn’t forthcoming with what the state said it needed, we went back and we got those additional funds. Now it’s time for the Governor and the Republican Executive Councilors to do their jobs and to protect the health and safety of the people of this state.” Gov. Chris Sununu had encouraged the Executive Council to approve the federal funding and said in a statement after the vote that the council had shown “a reckless disregard for the lives we are losing while they turn away the tools our state needs to fight and win this battle against Covid.”

Meanwhile, the Joint Fiscal Committee voted to accept a proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services to use $4.7 million in ARPA funds to help compensate for the money that was rejected by the Executive Council, according to a press release. “New Hampshire is the only state in the U.S. to reject CDC vaccine funding, which has limited our ability to control how the vaccines are provided to Granite Staters. Today’s vote was long overdue and I hope the approved funds can be quickly implemented to make up for lost time,” Rep. Mary Jane Wallner said in a statement after the vote. In a statement, Gov. Chris Sununu said, “This funding is critical to ensure boosters are available to the State’s vulnerable and at risk populations, and will support Regional Public Health Networks to set up efficient vaccine clinics to improve access for individuals and parents who wish to have their children vaccinated.”

Sports betting

Nashua residents will vote on whether to allow physical sportsbook retail locations in the city, while Portsmouth residents will vote on KENO 603 during city elections on Tuesday, Nov. 2. According to a press release, the sports betting legislation was written to provide individual communities with the option to vote on whether to allow the operation of sportsbook retail locations within their communities, while the KENO 603 legislation allows communities the option of allowing that game by putting it on election ballots or town meeting warrants. So far, the release said, 20 communities have approved retail sportsbooks over the past two years, including Manchester, Candia, Derry, Hudson, Londonderry, Pelham, Pembroke, Salem and Windham, and 89 New Hampshire communities have approved KENO 603 during city elections and town meetings.

Police walks

The Manchester Police Community Affairs Division’s 2021 Fall Senior Walks continue, with the next one happening Monday, Nov. 1, at Livingston Park (meet in the parking lot near the playground), followed by one on Monday, Nov. 8, at the Massabesic Lake Trail (meet in the paved parking lot off Londonderry Turnpike, just south of the Massabesic Traffic Circle). According to a press release, these walks allow seniors to spend time with Manchester Police Officers while exercising, socializing and exploring different parts of the city. The walks are about 2 to 3 miles and take about an hour. Both of these walks start at 9 a.m. Visit manchesterpd.com for a full list of walk dates and locations.

Bilingual liaisons

The Manchester School District will hire three additional bilingual liaisons to improve communication with families who don’t speak English, according to an Oct. 25 report from NHPR. The Board of School Committee approved the positions at its Oct. 25 meeting and increased the starting salary from $20 per hour to $25 per hour. The district currently has two Spanish-language liaisons to serve approximately 1,600 Spanish-speaking families, the NHPR report said, and the district is hoping to hire additional staff to work with families who speak some of the city’s most common non-English languages, like Spanish, Vietnamese, Nepali or Portuguese. According to the report, the decision was made amidst pressure on the district to better serve English language learners and recently arrived immigrant families. Bilingual liaisons will interpret between English and a parents’ home language, as well as host workshops and conduct outreach to families. Federal Covid relief funds will provide a portion of these salaries, the release said.

More than 100 people gathered at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner on Oct. 11 to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day. According to a press release, a panel discussion aimed at supporting local Native voices was followed by drumming and dancing.

The Bedford Police Department has teamed up with BeBOLD, a Bedford-based nonprofit drug awareness, education and prevention coalition, to recognize Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 23 through Oct. 31) with an initiative called “Bedford Goes Red.” According to a press release, the community is invited to use red lights and/or red bows or ribbons on their homes and businesses. Free ribbons and lights are available for free while supplies last at Primary Bank in the Harvest Market Plaza and at Cohen Closing and Title on Route 101, and red light bulbs are available at Bedford ACE Hardware.

The Merrimack Rotary Club will host an electronics recycling fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Merrimack Town Hall from 8 a.m. to noon, raising money for scholarships and community projects. According to a press release, the event is a drive-by dropoff for electronics ranging from telephones and speakers ($5) to computers and laptops ($20) to air conditioners and large flat-screen TVs ($35). The club guarantees a 95-percent recycling rate, with components disassembled and recycled, not ending up in landfills, the release said.