By Kathy Mccormack
Associated Press
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic:
New HampshireDartmouth-Hitchcock says just like other health care providers, it too, is experiencing staff shortages during the coronavirus pandemic that range from nursing positions to food service workers.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock said Wednesday it organized a “Managing and Staffing to Capacity” task force to identify solutions to the shortage, especially in the inpatient units and other care areas at its flagship hospital in Lebanon.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock also began planning for reallocation of resources and staff. Earlier this year, it increased the starting rate for newly licensed nurses to $30 per hour, and made wage adjustments for experienced clinical nurses and nurse supervisors. It plans to provide a 2% wage increase for other staff beginning in October.
Joni Menard, task force leader, said “the overall situation continues to be challenging as clinical demand increases and the supply of traveling staff is depleted across the nation.”
Sununu had bleeding ulcer: Tests confirmed Friday that a bleeding ulcer was the cause of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu’s flulike symptoms, his chief of staff said.
Sununu was admitted to a hospital earlier in the day after having flulike symptoms since Wednesday. He had tested negative three times for COVID-19.
“Tests have confirmed that a bleeding ulcer caused the symptoms the Governor has been experiencing this week,” Chief of Staff Jayne Millerick said in a statement. “After blood transfusion today, he is doing much better. He is extremely grateful to the staff at Portsmouth Hospital for their outstanding care and to everyone who donates blood. As a blood donor himself, he is happy he paid it forward and grateful to all who do the same.”
It was not immediately known how long Sununu would remain hospitalized.
Sununu, a Republican, had said Wednesday he tested negative for COVID-19, hours after his office said he wasn’t feeling well, postponed a meeting and began isolating.
“I woke up with symptoms similar to COVID and out of an abundance of caution I took two rapid antigen tests, which came back negative, and then followed up with a PCR test, which confirmed the negative,” Sununu had said. “I am going to rest up, and look forward to getting back to the State House soon!”
Sununu, 46, is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. He received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 10.
He took a trip to Kentucky on Monday to see how officials there are handling a surge in COVID cases.
State Senate President Chuck Morse, a Republican, said he hopes Sununu has a quick recovery.
“The entire Senate sends its best wishes to him, and I know people all across New Hampshire are keeping him in their prayers,” he said in a statement.
Mental health training: The National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire will receive nearly $125,000 to train law enforcement and first responders to more effectively respond to people in a mental health crisis.
The training is also intended to promote mental wellness for law enforcement and first responders in response to increased rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.
The alliance “looks forward to partnering with the NH Department of Safety, NH Police Standards and Training and municipal police and fire departments in accomplishing the goals of the grant,” Executive Ken Norton said in a statement Thursday.
The state’s congressional delegation announced the grant, saying how the coronavirus pandemic has shown the need to strengthen mental health services. The grant is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The numbers: More than 108,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 348 new confirmed cases announced Thursday. One new death was announced, bringing the total to 1,421.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 234 new cases per day on Aug. 17 to 305 new cases per day on Tuesday.
VermontA number of Vermont medical groups are calling for the state to do more to protect children who are too young to be vaccinated from COVID-19.
At least five groups, including the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, are calling for measures that include universal masking in schools until children under age 12 become eligible to be vaccinated.
Currently the Agency of Education is recommending schools require masks for the first 10 days of school. After that any school where 80% of students eligible for the vaccine have received it, vaccinated students and staff could remove their masks.
But children under age 12 are not eligible for vaccination. It’s unclear when any of the COVID-19 vaccines will be approved for children under age 12.
The Burlington Free Press reports that Rebecca Bell, director of pediatric critical care at UVM Children’s Hospital, said they support the idea of requiring universal masking at the beginning of the school year.
“We urge continued universal masking regardless of vaccination status or school vaccination rate for students and staff until those under 12 years of age have had the opportunity to be vaccinated and when epidemiologic data tells us it is safe to remove masks,” a number of the medical groups said in an Aug. 31 letter.
Secretary of Education Dan French has said the masking guidelines are recommendations, but most districts have chosen to implement the recommendations.
The numbers: On Friday, the Vermont Department of Health reported 96 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to just over 28,700.
There were 31 patients in the hospital with COVID-19, including 11 in intensive care.
The state reported one additional fatality, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to 280.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 111.43 new cases per day on Aug. 18 to 148.29 new cases per day on Sept. 1.
The Associated Press is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.
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