By Holly Ramer And Wilson Ring
Associated Press
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:
New Hampshire
An intensive care unit nurse who was the first person to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in New Hampshire said Tuesday she wanted to inspire others to overcome their fears.
Heidi Kukla received her first dose of the vaccine Tuesday, and was quickly followed by four of her colleagues at Elliot Hospital in Manchester.
“I volunteered to be first to get this vaccine because I know a lot of people have reservations about getting the vaccine,” she said. “They’re worried about how fast it was produced, what the long-term effects may be, but I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing worse than being a patient on a ventilator in an ICU anywhere in this country right now with COVID, and the anguish of the family members that can’t be there.”
Health care workers are first in line for the vaccine under the state’s distribution plan. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said the state expects to distribute all 12,000 doses in the initial shipment within about a week. Vaccinations of residents at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are scheduled to start Dec. 21, she said.
“As a nurse, this is a very emotional moment for me. For the last nine months we’ve been collectively searching for a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “As a community we now have our solution.”
The initial vaccinations were given outside in 27-degree weather, prompting one attendee to jokingly ask whether officials were highlighting the vaccine’s cold storage requirements.
“This is a typical New England-New Hampshire day, so nothing we can’t handle,” answered Gov. Chris Sununu.
Though he admitted to a fear of needles, Sununu said he is eager to get the vaccine. But unlike governors in some states, he plans to wait his turn.
“I’m 46, I’m fairly young, no other health conditions,” he said. “I know there’s talk of elected officials of getting the vaccine before those in a long-term care facility or before nurses. I think that’s ridiculous, frankly.”
Kukla said she and her colleagues are often so busy they can’t spend as much time with grieving relatives as they would like.
“We don’t have the time to hold a family, the hands of the patients and calm them the way that we would like to,” she said. “So, getting this vaccine, for me, is the first step in having all of this be done. And I really hope that our getting this first inspires other people to not be afraid and to step up and to get the vaccine.”
The numbers: More than 32,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, with 670 cases announced Tuesday that included results from several days earlier in the week. No new deaths were announced; a total of 604 people have died since the pandemic began.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 422 new cases per day on Nov. 30 to 866 new cases per day on Monday.
Vermont
An emergency department nurse at Vermont’s largest hospital on Tuesday was the first person in the state to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.
Cindy Wamsganz of the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington gave a thumbs up Tuesday after receiving the vaccination that was live streamed by the hospital.
“I am humbled and honored to be asked to be the first health care worker in the state to receive this vaccine. I am fearful of the virus, not the vaccine, and believe it is our pathway to protection and living life again,” Wamsganz said in a statement distributed by the hospital.
Vermont received its first doses of the vaccine on Monday and is expecting to receive 5,850 doses a week for the next several weeks.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says that if, as expected, a second COVID-19 vaccine is approved for use over the next few days, Vermont could receive a total of about 34,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of the month.
The top priority for getting the vaccines will be front-line health care workers and then residents of long-term care facilities. It could be spring before a significant percent of the population is vaccinated and it could be several months after that before the pandemic becomes a memory.
Gov. Phil Scott says the good news about the vaccine comes at the same time as Vermont records its 100th death from COVID-19 since the pandemic started.
Scott told Vermonters the pandemic has tested everyone and the vaccine is good news, but people need to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distance and quarantining after traveling outside of Vermont.
“But the fact is I need you, each and every one of you to make sure we get through the last of this on solid footing with as little loss of life as possible,” he said.
The numbers: On Tuesday the Vermont Health Department reported four additional deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state since the pandemic began to 100.
Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said three of the people who died had been residents of long-term care facilities.
The Health Department also reported Tuesday 66 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the total in the state since the start of the pandemic to just under 5,925.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.