While COVID-19 Cases Are Low, Delta Variant Raises Concern In NH

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire officials marked what Gov. Chris Sununu called, “a bit of a grim milestone,” on Thursday during a news conference as the state passed the 100,000 COVID-19 case count threshold.

Sununu called the last year and a half a “very hard” time for the state and its citizens. While case numbers were “slowing down,” the delta variant of the coronavirus, which had led to spikes and outbreaks across the country, was prompting the governor to make a “stronger plea” for residents to get vaccinated.

“Folks really need to get vaccinated,” he said. “The delta variant is very severe. It’s very real. It is having a very significant impact on the unvaccinated population and specifically, with the younger population.”

Sununu said Granite Staters had “that individual power” to make “the personal choice” to get shots. He said they were safe, information was available to the public to make their own decisions, and urged citizens to talk to their doctors, too, about the vaccines. Sununu said there were more than 500 places to get vaccines in the state.

“It’s literally down the street,” he said, “wherever you are.”

Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state epidemiologist, said New Hampshire had a “very low level of community transmission” and “the lowest rates in the country.” However, surges had been seen in a few areas of the United States due to the delta variant. The variant, which he called “highly transmissible,” was also circulating and increasing both in New England and nationally.

Dr. Beth Daly of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said about 1,000 people a week in the state were getting vaccinated and while that was lower than previously, it was still a good number and the vaccine was available anywhere, to anyone.

The state, she said, was also nearing the end of its homebound vaccine program which led to more than 5,200 residents becoming vaccinated.

A new mobile van was offering free clinics around the state with translation services and available to any size group of people including employers, religious organizations, or even a neighborhood block party, if requested. Daly said there had been more than 100 requests for the van and it was booked through September.

Dr. Benjamin Chan answers a question about the comparison between July 2020 and July 2021 infection numbers which are nearly the same.

Officials, Sununu said, were also getting more money out to hotel and live event venues that were hit during the pandemic. About 130 businesses will receive about 12 percent of the receipts they lost during the pandemic. Even though it was a small amount of money, it will help, he said.

Sununu, who did not have an inauguration due to the pandemic, has launched a website, Super603Tour.com, where he will be booking a few summer fun events around the state which will replace his inauguration festivities. They include a day at the Conway Scenic Railway, a Fisher Cats game, and a harvest fest at an orchard in October.

Questions And Answers

Chan was asked about schools and what the plan was for those students who were not old enough to get vaccinated. The state, he said, would be stressing vaccinations for anyone and everyone who could get one because COVID-19 infections could “trickle down and affect institutions,” including schools and child care agencies, especially with mixed populations. Districts would need to assess each situation at the local level and take mitigating factors. Information was being communicated to schools on what to do, especially with dense classrooms. “There are a lot of details,” he said, adding “the key messages” were “COVID-19 is still around” and schools would need to work on “prevention strategies.” Chan added, “it’s not all about facemasks and physical distancing; it is about thinking through the risks (and each specific school will vary by location.”

Sununu was asked about seasonal changes and whether or not new restrictive measures would be taken. He said, no, but, instead, officials would be promoting vaccinations and, hopefully, encouraging those who have not been vaccinated to get shots. Sununu said, when the Centers for Disease Control made recommendations, it was to the entire country, and not everything recommended applied to New Hampshire. The state, he said, “got the vaccine out quickly,” which was why tackling the pandemic was so successful compared to other states. There might be “a delta variant surge,” and, the state would take extra precautions. But, the team, Sununu added, had already “done a very good job, not varying from (the plan) one bit” while “giving folks confidence.”

Sununu was asked about surge sites and said, he did not expect that they would be needed. But, if they were needed, they could be up and running in 48 hours.

Restaurant and small business staffing was another question raised and the governor said the employee situation was tough for businesses. But he hoped they would be able to get through the rest of the tourism season with more people entering the workforce. He joked many people had their vacations stolen from them last year and were taking time off. Others were “re-skilling” and taking classes online. There is, he said, a lot of transition in the workforce but, Granite Stater workers were engaged.

Chan was asked about specifics concerning the delta variant in New Hampshire. He said the state was performing genetic sequencing on specimens and found 18 percent of 33 genetic tests or six cases had the delta variant. Chan called it “not a high number” but it was “the predominant strain nationally and regionally.” He said officials were still performing contact tracing on patients but could not confirm how New Hampshire residents were getting the delta variant beyond saying traveling was one form of transmission.

Chan was asked about seasonal numbers that showed the same rate of infection in July 2020 as July 2021 but a lower average death rate — in July 2020, it was averaging about one death per week whereas now it is averaging around 0.3 deaths per week or two-thirds less. Chan confirmed the lower data today compared to a year ago was “good news.”

Chan said town-by-town vaccination numbers were a concern since residents with the vaccine had a lower risk of infection. Some communities are higher than others and officials would be focusing on increasing community numbers.

Sununu was asked about other incentives other than the mobile van and he said, probably not, noting that nearly two-thirds of the state was vaccinated.

Sununu was asked about a new statewide mandate and he said that was not on the table at this time. “(Infections are at) a low level,” he said. “I’m very proud of the good rate we have had, so far.”

Officials were asked about breakthrough cases and deaths of people who were vaccinated. The numbers were extremely low — 10 deaths in the state and another 505 people infected despite being vaccinated, according to Daly.

Sununu was asked about vaccine passports and said there was a law approved to ban them in New Hampshire but private colleges and businesses could require students or employees to get vaccinated.

Officials could not answer how many people were hospitalized, about two dozen currently, had the delta variant.

Sununu was asked about the moratorium on evictions and the thousands of applicants and said tenants could work directly with landlords and landlords with apartment dwellers to remedy the situation. The NH Housing Finance Authority was also assisting with the situation.

Sununu was asked again about what more could be done to limit the spread and whether officials were going to promote anything else other than social distancing. He said residents needed to understand the value and power of individual responsibility — while the government’s job was to provide “that open door” to make the best decision for themselves. The governor was also asked about future promotion and outreach on vaccine promotion and said officials would “keep throwing everything we have at it.” He said, while there were side effects and some severe case reactions, they were “very minor” and “the net benefit is huge and the risk is very low.”

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