Council approves vaccine funding with less money, drama

By Holly Ramer and Wilson Ring
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic:

New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s Executive Council on Wednesday approved using federal funds to boost COVID-19 vaccination efforts in a vote that involved much less drama — and money — than previous requests.

Two weeks ago, the Republican-led council that approves state contracts turned down $27 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over concerns that language in the grants would have bound the state to follow federal directives and mandates related to COVID-19. More than 100 vaccine mandate opponents packed the room, and nine were arrested for interrupting the meeting.

But protestors were absent Wednesday when the the council unanimously voted to use $4.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to help community health centers and regional public health networks set up school-based and community vaccination clinics.

“This will be an additional resource that is needed,” said Republican Councilor Joe Kenney.

But Cinde Warmington, the lone Democrat on the council, noted that using the ARPA funds instead of the CDC money diverts money that could have been used for other programs. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette agreed.

“The concern is that the language in the CDC grant will likely appear in other grants coming in the future and are we going to continue to reject those funds and need to backfill with ARPA funds?” she said. “Because if we do that, we’re talking tens of millions of dollars that we’re pulling out of our very flexible ARPA funds to backfill money that should have been received from the CDC.”

The legislative fiscal committee approved the $4.7 million last week. But the actual contracts with the health centers will still need to come back to the council for approval, and that won’t happen before children ages 5-11 become eligible for vaccines, Shibinette said.

“When you have all of the boosters coming online at the same time and 125,000 5- to 11-year-olds becoming eligible, the ability to get an appointment is going to be delayed because we don’t have all the providers on board because of the delay in this money,” she said.

At a news conference later Wednesday, Shibinette said the length of those delays will depend on parents’ demand for the vaccine. The state has ordered 15,000 doses for children that will be sent to 200 providers — hospitals, pediatricians and pharmacies — as soon as the CDC issues its recommendations, Sununu said.

“The opportunity for parents to get vaccines for kids does not get delayed one bit, not one bit,” he said. “Maybe having the clinic in the school and that ease of access might get delayed a couple of weeks, but it’s not like we’re not providing vaccines.”

The language Republicans opposed has appeared in other contracts they approved, and both Gov. Chris Sununu and Attorney General John Formella have said it does not in any way impede the state’s sovereignty.

Pending vaccine sites for children ages 5-11: The state of New Hampshire has preordered about 15,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 as approval for that age group makes its way through the federal channels.

If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decides to recommend the shots next week, state officials said Wednesday that shots could be administered as early as the end of that week. The state says it has 125,000 children in the 5-11 age group.

Schools are being encouraged to set up vaccine clinics for children, but in the meantime, the state is providing a map of 200 vaccine sites for children 5-11 at pharmacies, primary care doctors, hospitals, and urgent care clinics.

The map can be found at the vaccines.nh.gov website.

Towns issue temporary mask mandates: Two northern New Hampshire communities have issued temporary mask mandates as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Coos County.

The Berlin City Council and the Gorham Board of Selectmen met on Monday night. In Berlin, the City Council brought back an indoor mask mandate for at least 30 days, WMUR-TV reported. In Gorham, the board decided on an indoor mask mandate for two weeks, with plans to review it at the next meeting on Nov. 8.

Health officials in Coos County asked for the mandates. The test positivity rate in the county is at 14.8 percent, among the highest in New England.

“If you are in a car accident or if you have a heart attack or if you have other medical needs, the capacity of the health care system is really impaired at this point, and so we really need to take every action we can to preserve that capacity for us all,” said Ken Gordon, CEO of Coos County Family Health Services.

Berlin Fire Chief James Watkins said masks could help bring the virus under control.

“Frankly, a lot of people don’t want to, including myself. I don’t want to either,” he said. “However, I am trying to help everybody out.”

VermontThe Vermont Agency of Education is extending until January a recommendation that schools require students to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Education Secretary Daniel French said Tuesday the goal of extending the program is to allow time for younger students to be vaccinated, if, as expected, vaccines are approved in the coming weeks for children ages 5 to 11. The measure would also keep current COVID-19 mitigation measures in place through the holidays.

The underlying proposal would allow schools to lift a mask mandate once 80% of the students in a school have been vaccinated.

“This vaccination effort not only will keep our kids safe, but also be, I think, a game changer in terms of our operating elementary schools in particular and managing the cases at the younger grades,” French said during the weekly virus briefing.

While the mask requirements are voluntary, French and other state officials have said that all but one school in the state was following the school mask guidance.

On Tuesday officials also announced the guidance for school sports during the winter season.

Among the state’s recommendations are that all participants be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is not required.

Gov. Scott won’t reimpose state of emergency: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday he wouldn’t reimpose a state of emergency that would authorize him to put a statewide mask mandate back in place as the delta variant has driven an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Speaking at the weekly briefing about the state’s response to the pandemic, Scott said he doesn’t want to overuse the state of emergency power he has as governor.

“There’s a time and a place for a state of emergency and I can assure you this isn’t it,” Scott said. “And I believe that we’ll get through this with all the measures, all the mitigation measures we put into place and doing all the right things and taking some self-responsibility. If I thought that the state of emergency would be helpful in this case, I’d impose it.”

Scott said he’s also more optimistic about the future of the pandemic then he has been in weeks: Booster shots have been approved for most people over age 18 who have already been vaccinated, the federal government is expected to authorize in the coming weeks vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 and COVID-19 case numbers are starting to decrease across the country and in Vermont.

Statistics released Tuesday show that the number of cases in Vermont dropped 15% in the last week and 7% in the last two weeks.

“We’ll get through this,” he said.

On Monday, a group of lawmakers, school nurses, and other medical professionals urged Scott to reinstate the state of emergency and indoor mask mandate. They said school staff, parents, hospitals and health care workers are stressed coping with the pandemic, some to the breaking point.

Scott and other administration officials said the current spike in COVID-19 cases during the surge in cases driven by the delta variant of the virus could also be due, at least in part, to the state’s early success in getting people vaccinated.

He said the effectiveness of the vaccines has been shown to wane over time, which is why it’s important for those who are eligible to get the booster shots. That’s after at least six months for those who’ve received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or after at least two months for those who received Johnson & Johnson.

About 80% of eligible Vermonters have been fully vaccinated against the virus and nearly 90% have at least begun the vaccination process. Administration officials encouraged the just over 57,000 Vermonters who are eligible to be vaccinated and have not gotten the shot to do so.

But Scott said the demand for the vaccine boosters has not been as great as it was when the vaccines were first rolling out earlier this year.

“As you heard us say, we’re being very liberal and broad in our interpretation of eligibility,” Scott said. “We want as many people as possible to get their booster as it gives you the most protection. This is especially true if you’re over 65.”