By The Associated Press
Developments from around New England on the new coronavirus pandemic on Friday, March 20, 2020. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
VERMONT
Four other residents of a nursing home in Burlington have tested positive for the new coronavirus, following the death of a resident from COVID-19, state officials said Friday.
The state reported its first two deaths from the disease Thursday: a woman who lived at Burlington Health & Rehab long-term care facility and an elderly Windsor County man hospitalized at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction.
“We have been vigorously working with the facility regarding their infection control procedures,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine.
More people are being tested. The Health Department is helping to trace people who had contact with the residents, and the state was planning to discuss with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if a team could be sent to help with the investigation, Levine said.
In Washington state, some 35 coronavirus deaths have been linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland, outside of Seattle.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
The total number of Vermont cases on Friday was 29, with the Health Department saying the state is now experiencing community spread of COVID-19.
Vermont had 500 hospital beds available on Friday, including 49 in intensive care and 204 surgical beds, said Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith. The state had 153 ventilators with 87 more coming, and the state is pursuing even more, he said.
To respond to increased applications for unemployment insurance, Vermont has tripled its staff at is claims center and created an electronic form to allow people to establish an initial claim, the state Labor Department said. The department said it also added a supplementary phone number.
The state has requested a disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration to make emergency loans available to Vermont small businesses, Gov. Phil Scott said.
A provider at Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin has tested positive for the coronavirus, the hospital said Friday. The employee had interacted with a small group of patients and staff before getting symptoms and has been in self-isolation since, the medical center said. Contacts have been notified of possible exposure and told to self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms, CVMC said.
The People’s United Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay in Burlington has been postponed from the end of May to Oct. 25.
Around the country, people are being asked to avoid gatherings and keep their distance from one another when out in public.
“We encourage all Vermonters to use this time of social distancing as an opportunity to reconnect with family, friends, and your community in responsible ways,” Levine said. “Use technology to communicate, enjoy the outdoors, take time to learn … a new skill, follow up on long overdue projects, volunteer to support those who are in need.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE
More than 40 people have tested positive in New Hampshire for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough, and the vast majority recover. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
A judge upheld New Hampshire’s statewide emergency ban on gatherings of 50 people or more to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,
Three people who planned to attend political and religious events in the next few weeks filed a lawsuit Tuesday, the day after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu issued the order prohibiting large gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational activities. They said the order violated their constitutional rights. A spokesman for Sununu said order was consistent with actions taken across the country and is clearly within the governor’s authority.
Judge John Kissinger, in upholding the ban, wrote that he “cannot imagine a more critical and important public objective than protecting the citizens of this state and this country from becoming sick and dying from this pandemic.”
Kissinger did recognize that the declaration is for a limited time period and that statute allows the Legislature to address constraints on the governor exercising his power. He also said, should the situation change at some point, “the doors to the court are open.”
The unprecedented number of people applying for unemployment benefits in New Hampshire has slowed down the Department of Employment Security’s computer system.
Sununu issued an executive order Tuesday allowing a broad group of people affected by the virus to request unemployment benefits, including those who are self-employed or who unable to work because they are caring for children whose schools are closed. After a surge in claims, the state is now asking people to file claims at certain hours, based on the first letter of their last names.
RHODE ISLAND
The University of Rhode Island has announced that a staff member has tested positive for the new coronavirus, and is in self-isolation.
The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority announced Friday that non-federal student loan borrowers experiencing financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply at the agency’s website to skip two months of payments.
MASSACHUSETTS
Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston has given the region’s Catholics a pep talk as they deal with the challenges of life during the outbreak. In videos on the archdiocese’s website, O’Malley urged people to pull together and take care of each other even in a time of social distancing and isolation and offered a special blessing for health care workers and those who have tested positive for the virus.
MAINE
The ranks of those who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus in Maine now include a Portland police officer and one member each from the Bates and Colby college communities.
In Waterville, the city solicitor warned that the normal rules still apply for city government meetings after a coronavirus panel met in secret and made what he said were decisions, including voting to suspend the city’s ban on plastic bags. Sigmund Schutz, lawyer for MaineToday Media, told the state attorney general’s public access ombudsman that urgent guidance is needed on compliance with the Freedom of Access Act.
The Maine Center for Disease Control said Thursday that more than 50 people have tested positive for the virus in the state.
CONNECTICUT
A Connecticut state legislator has tested positive for the coronavirus.
State Rep. Jane Garibay, 64, is the first lawmaker in the state to report a positive test. The Windsor Democrat is self-isolating at home.
In her Thursday announcement, Garibay did not say if she had any idea where she may have come in contact with the virus. The Legislature was last in session on March 11, and she developed symptoms four days later, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
Connecticut’s congressional delegation is urging the federal government to supply urgently needed medical supplies as soon as possible to hospitals and health care workers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
They say some hospitals are only days away from running out of some personal protective equipment.
In their letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, the legislators requested 250,000 each of respirator face masks, surgical masks, surgical gowns, non-sterile gloves and disposable face shields from the national stockpile.
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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