By Holly Ramer and Wilson Ring THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic:
New Hampshire
Gov. Chris Sununu issued an executive order Tuesday designed to help boost capacity at hospitals across New Hampshire that are struggling with a record number of COVID-19 patients.
The state has been averaging nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections per day in recent weeks. As of Tuesday, 350 people were hospitalized, surpassing the record set last winter and contributing to longer wait times in emergency departments and delays in treatment for other conditions.
Last year, the state temporarily set up 14 “flex facilities” in college gymnasiums and other facilities with about 1,600 beds to handle hospital overflow for coronavirus cases. Under the new executive order, the focus instead will be on helping hospitals set up internal “surge centers” using space typically not used for inpatient care, such as ambulatory surgical centers or outpatient clinics.
The order also makes it easier to add beds at rehabilitation facilities and will streamline licensing procedures to boost the health care workforce, Sununu said.
“Our health care system is resilient, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But it is being tested.”
Lori Shibinette, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, described it as a “back door” issue for hospitals.
“At any given time they may have 15 or 20 patients waiting for a nursing home bed or a rehab bed that they can’t discharge because those facilities are either not taking new admissions because of an outbreak or because they don’t have the staff,” she said. “We have to open capacity behind the hospital.”
Sununu also announced a “booster blitz” initiative now that all adults are eligible for the follow-up shots. On Dec. 11, the state will operate 20 sites to offer booster shots to those seeking the protection in time for Christmas gatherings.
The state also is partnering with several organizations and companies to expand at-home coronavirus testing, Sununu said.
Through the “Say Yes! COVID Test” program administered by the National Institutes of Health, 1 million free rapid tests will be available in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, a company called Vault will provide the state with 100,000 PCR tests next month. The first allotments of both tests will be offered to schools, Sununu said.
Vermont
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed into law Tuesday a bill that will allow the state’s municipalities to adopt temporary indoor mask mandates.
Scott’s signature on the new law came a day after the Vermont Legislature held a special session in which the new law that allows a municipality to impose their own mask mandate was introduced and approved.
Scott said he called the special session at the request of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns as a compromise after some lawmakers urged him to re-impose a statewide mask mandate.
“As you’ve heard me say repeatedly, masking when inside in public spaces is a good idea right now, because masks work, but at this point in the pandemic mandates won’t,” Scott said. “And I think they’ll be divisive and counter productive.”
Within hours of the new law taking effect, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said he would propose requiring facial coverings in indoor public settings except for situations where all employees and customers in city businesses are verified to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The ordinance will go before the Burlington City Council on Dec. 1.
In a statement, Weinberger, a Democrat, said the city is in a “confusing and uncertain moment” in which most Vermonters are vaccinated, but the state has seen record-setting case numbers.
“In drafting this new mask mandate the city team has sought to strike a balance with a structure that both protects public health and supports the local businesses we are asking to partner with us on the frontline of our community pandemic response,” Weinberger said.
Under the terms of the new law, Vermont’s local legislative bodies can decide whether to have a mask mandate. Schools would not be included.
Municipalities that adopt mask mandates must vote every 30 days whether to keep the mandates in effect.
The law will expire on April 30, 2022.
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