By Holly Ramer And Wilson Ring
Associated Press
In New Hampshire, any resident 16 years of age or older can register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at vaccines.nh.gov or by telephone at 2-1-1. In Vermont, any resident 30 years of age or older or those 16 years of age or older who have chronic health conditions that put them at high risk of hospitalization or death can register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at healthvermont.gov or by telephone at (855) 722-7878. You are also eligible for an appointment if you are: a health care worker, first responder, associated with long-term care, corrections officer, prison staff member, K-12 educator or onsite staff member, or child care staff member.
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:
New HampshireNew Hampshire is following federal recommendations to pause the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday they were investigating unusual blood clots in six women that occurred six to 13 days after vaccination.
Gov. Chris Sununu, who was among about 12,000 people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over the weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, said none of the state-run vaccination sites had been scheduled to administer Johnson & Johnson shots on Tuesday. While some regional public health networks had planned to administer them to homebound populations, the state is working with them to provide Pfizer and Moderna vaccines instead, Sununu said.
“This news will not slow down New Hampshire,” Sununu said in a statement. “While the federal government has directed a brief pause in the J&J vaccine, the state is already working with our partners to ensure that they have an alternative supply of Pfizer or Moderna to help continue their efforts today.”
Walmart locations that had planned to give Johnson & Johnson vaccines through the federal pharmacy program will be given alternative vaccines by 1 p.m., he said. Those with appointments earlier in the day can go to one of the state-managed sites, instead.
Sununu gets vaccine: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu received his COVID-19 vaccine Saturday at the state’s mass vaccination site at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
The Republican, driving an orange convertible, got the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine in his left arm.
He never got out of the vehicle, and he gave a thumbs-up when it was all done.
“Just got my COVID-19 vaccine at the @NHMS,” Sununu tweeted. “A big THANK YOU to all of the incredible volunteers, state employees, and staff who make the process so seamless!”
Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette and Bureau of Infectious Disease Control Chief Beth Daly also received their vaccines.
Thousands of New Hampshire residents have been vaccinated at the site.
The numbers: The state Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported 415 new positive coronavirus tests and one more virus-related death.
There have now been nearly 89,000 known cases of the disease in the state, while deaths increased to 1,257.
The death reported Sunday occurred in February but was only recently confirmed as related to COVID-19.
VermontThe state of Vermont announced Tuesday it was suspending the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the state “out of an abundance of caution” while scientists study a series of rare blood clots reported in a small number of patients.
About 2,000 Johnson & Johnson appointments scheduled for Tuesday were canceled as were about 2,000 more that were scheduled for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile the state will reach out to people whose appointments were canceled to reschedule them. People will be offered the opportunity to make appointments for the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Gov. Phil Scott and other officials said they expected the pause to last “days not weeks” and they don’t expect it to affect the state’s overall reopening guidance that has set July 4 as the day by which Vermont will be able to substantially reopen from the pandemic guidelines that have been in place for more than a year.
Scott said the state is expecting to receive an increase in the supply of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week and no Johnson & Johnson deliveries had been expected next week, even before the pause.
“We are on par with where we were last week,” Scott said. “We feel we will be OK at this point in time.”
Scott said that if needed the state could add vaccination appointments to make up for those lost between now and when Johnson & Johnson is once again cleared for use.
The move came after the federal government decided to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after unusual blood clots were reported in six women who developed the symptoms between six and 13 days after they were given the shot. A total of more than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered across the country.
The decision by the federal government to suspend the use of Johnson & Johnson will not affect the other two vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, that are currently authorized for use in the United States.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines make up the vast share of COVID-19 shots administered in the U.S.
Courthouses: Eight Vermont courthouses are once again ready for jury trials.
The Vermont Judiciary announced recently that the move comes after a year of work to construct barriers, test and improve air circulation and filtration systems, and develop process and facility enhancements to allow for social distancing to make them COVID-19 safe.
Two other courthouses are expected to be approved for 12-person jury trials in the coming weeks. Several are also ready for six-person jury trials, which could be used in some civil trials if all parties agree on the reduction of jury size.
Courts now available for jury trials are the county courthouses in Woodstock, Hyde Park, Chelsea and Burlington and the state courthouses in St. Johnsbury, Rutland, Barre and Brattleboro.
The courts expect approval soon for jury trials at state court facilities in St. Albans, Bennington, Middlebury and Burlington.
The numbers: On Tuesday, the Vermont Department of Health reported more than 70 new confirmed cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to almost 21,400.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 166.14 new cases per day on March 28 to 146.29 new cases per day on April 11.
The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 0.86 deaths per day on March 28 to 0.57 deaths per day on April 11.
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