By Holly Ramer And Lisa Rathke
Associated Press
All U.S. adults are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. To register for a vaccine appointment in New Hampshire, please visit vaccines.nh.gov or call 2-1-1. To register for a vaccine appointment in Vermont, please visit healthvermont.gov or call (855) 722-7878.
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:
New HampshireAs children get ready for summer camp, federal COVID-19 response funds are being used to offer mental health training for camp counselors.
The Department of Education is partnering with the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Mental Health Association to provide the training. Also, the 10 community mental health centers around the state will have staff on site at camp locations weekly to provide mental health support for children.
The effort is a part of the department’s “Rekindling Curiosity: Every Kid Goes to Camp” program, which offers families camp tuition support.
“In spite of the heroic efforts by so many over this past year, so many children across New Hampshire have experienced anxiety and trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Frank Edelblut, commissioner of education, said in a statement Tuesday. “The Rekindle Curiosity program will simply give many of our children the opportunity to be a kid again and build some childhood memories.”
The numbers: More than 99,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 25 cases announced Tuesday. One recent death was reported, bringing the total to 1,368.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire decreased over the past two weeks, going from 31 new cases per day on June 6 to 27 new cases per day on Sunday.
VermontVermont is ending its pandemic-related emergency housing in hotels and motels for some of the homeless population because the program is not sustainable, hotel capacity is shrinking and it was never meant to be a permanent solution, said Human Services Secretary Mike Smith on Tuesday.
Roughly 700 people, or about a third of the homeless people put up in motels during the coronavirus pandemic, will no longer be eligible on July 1, officials estimate.
The Legislature asked the Human Services Agency to create a work group to come up with a transition plan, Smith said. The plan was accepted by the legislature and includes a more expansive program than before the pandemic — estimated to cost $41 million, compared to $6 million pre-pandemic, he said.
The new rules provide 84 days of emergency housing for families with children, households with a person who is disabled or over age 60, pregnant women, and households fleeing domestic or sexual violence, he said. Families with children and some disabled households will be able to stay longer.
Homeless service providers are working with households who will lose their hotel voucher eligibility to develop plans, and the state is giving out a $2,500 payment to each household, which also have access to up to $8,000 in housing funds per household, Smith said. Other state benefits are also available, he said.
“The goal is to transition households to other housing options, whether it’s permanent housing or other shared living arrangements,” he said.
The state is investing $120 million to build this housing while also encouraging shelters to reopen and expand, he said.
The numbers: On Monday, Vermont reported three new cases of the coronavirus over the last three days, for a statewide total of more than 24,300 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Four people were hospitalized with COVID-19, with two in intensive care, according to the state Health Department.
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