Covid-19 news

During the state’s weekly public health update on Dec. 16, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that more than 1,100 new infections of Covid-19 continue to be identified each day, while hospitalizations and deaths also remain high. Additional infections with the omicron variant have also been reported in New Hampshire since the first one was detected on Dec. 13. “Based on what we’re seeing in other countries and in other areas of the U.S., we expect that … there will be an increase in [the] proportion of omicron infections,” Chan said.

Following the success of the state’s first “booster blitz” on Dec. 11, when more than 10,000 Covid booster doses were administered, Gov. Chris Sununu announced during the press conference that a second event has been scheduled for Jan. 8. “We’re going to have registration open up shortly after the new year,” Sununu said, adding that there will be up to six additional fixed vaccination sites across the state pending approval by the Executive Council.

Hundreds of thousands of additional at-home rapid Covid tests are also expected to be available to Granite Staters soon via sayyescovidtest.org. “At the end of the day, this is the future of managing the Covid pandemic: home testing, easy access [and] rapid results for you or your child,” Sununu said. “I think it’s going to not just keep the burden off of the hospitals. It’s going to reduce transmission and really help us bend that curve down, knowing that we could be dealing with Covid in the long run for potentially a long time to come.”

On Dec. 20, state health officials announced they have identified the first pediatric death from complications related to Covid-19 in New Hampshire. According to a press release, the death occurred back in September in another state, in a child who was too young to have been vaccinated. The identification was made after Covid-19 was listed as a cause of death on the recently finalized death certificate. According to the release, about 25 to 30 percent of all new infections in New Hampshire are continuing to occur in people under the age of 18.

State assessments

The impact that the pandemic has had on education throughout the country can be seen in students’ assessment scores from the spring of 2021, and New Hampshire’s test results are no different. According to a press release, about 38 percent of students in the state scored proficient or above proficient in math for 2021, compared to 48 percent in 2019, while about 52 percent scored proficient or above proficient in reading for 2021, compared to 56 percent in 2019. Science scores dropped from a statewide average of 39 percent proficient or above proficient in 2019 to 37 percent in 2021. The number of students who participated in the testing this year dropped as well, the release said. About 73,406 New Hampshire students completed the assessment tests for math in 2021, while about 91,050 completed the tests in 2019; for reading, numbers dropped from about 90,785 to 72,880; and in science, which is taken in fewer grades, participation was about 37,720 in 2019 and 28,495 in 2021. “It is clear and understandable that trauma from the pandemic continues to impact schools, students and teachers,” Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of Education, said in the release. “New Hampshire will continue to address learning loss through customized, unique and engaging learning platforms that focus on individual student achievement and success.”

Divisive concepts

The American Federation of Teachers New Hampshire chapter is challenging the constitutionality of a new piece of legislation, often referred to as the “divisive concepts” law, in federal court, WMUR reported. The law, passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, prohibits school teachers in the state from making any statements insinuating or indicating that people are inferior or superior to others on account of their race, gender, religion and other factors. According to the article, teachers said the policy has caused confusion and difficulty in teaching historical events accurately. The complaints were outlined in a 52-page document filed in the U.S. District Court in Concord. “The law is crafted with language that was designed to make it look benign, but in reality, it puts public school teachers in an impossible position,” National AFT President Randi Weingarten said during a telephone news conference. Sununu, state Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley and state Board of Education member Ryan Terrell said the lawsuit mischaracterizes the law with the wording “divisive concept,” which is not included in the written legislation, and does not accurately represent the language and intent of the written legislation. The New Hampshire Department of Justice is expected to file a response, the article said.

Insurance navigation

The Foundation for Healthy Communities announced that it is offering free health insurance navigation services to New Hampshire residents seeking health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. A Health Insurance Navigator, accessible to all state residents, assists health insurance consumers with the process of shopping for, assessing their eligibility for, applying for and enrolling in health insurance coverage for the 2022 plan year during the Open Enrollment period, which is going on now through Jan. 15. The tool was made possible through a grant awarded to the Foundation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; grants are awarded each year to organizations that serve as health insurance Navigators in states that offer a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace.

NHDRA

After 36 months of work, the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration has completed its new Revenue Information Management System. According to a press release, the modernized information system, which replaces a 30-year-old system, has upgraded and consolidated the functionality of its tax administration processes, including automation, integration and electronic filing. The NHDRA has also launched Granite Tax Connect, a tool for New Hampshire taxpayers, operators and practitioners that allows them to easily maneuver and complete tax-related tasks online. Granite Tax Connect will fully replace NHDRA’s current eFile interface starting on Jan. 1. Since NHDRA started using the new system, known as RIMS, the department has processed more than $3 billion in payments and administered three CARES Act Programs, which provided $390 million in Covid-19 relief funds to 12,000 New Hampshire businesses. In Fiscal Year 2021, NHDRA performed electronic filing for more than half of the 420,000 tax returns that it processed.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Turnpikes Safety Patrol celebrated its new sponsorship from Geico by donating more than 500 toys and gifts to Operation Santa Claus. According to a press release, the sponsorship announcement and the donation were made Dec. 15 at the Common Man Roadside Welcome Center in Hooksett.

On Dec. 21, to honor Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, people from the community gathered at Veterans Park in Manchester in a tribute to the homeless and formerly homeless. According to a press release, Catholic Medical Centers’s Health Care for the Homeless, FIT-NH, Hope for NH Recovery, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester and the NH Coalition to End Homelessness led the program, lighting luminaries for the 38 homeless men and women who died in Manchester in 2021.

New Hampshire has a new Historical Highway Marker, located on Route 13 in Brookline near Lake Potanipo, where the former Fresh Pond Ice Co. used to harvest ice. According to a press release, this is the 271st historical marker in New Hampshire, and it reads, in part, “The first ice harvest was shipped to Boston for local distribution in 1892 on Brookline’s newly complete railroad. … The advent of electric refrigeration, coupled with a fire that destroyed the extensive complex of icehouses on March 22, 1935, effectively ended commercial ice harvesting at this location.”