By Jordan J. Phelan
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
State-managed vaccination sites for the novel coronavirus will permanently close at the end of the month, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.
In a news release on Wednesday afternoon, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that all 11 state-managed COVID-19 vaccination sites will cease operations on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. Additionally, four of the seven mobile vaccination teams will demobilize on the same day.
“The effort over the last one and a half years to get our residents vaccinated has been an immense success,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “To our volunteers, members of our National Guard, local police, fire, and EMS departments, the people of New Hampshire say: Thank You!”
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services cited a decrease in demand for COVID-19 vaccines in their reasoning to close the fixed sites and disband a majority of the mobile vaccination teams.
The state of New Hampshire first established fixed vaccination sites between December 2020 and January 2021 in 13 municipalities. Presently, there are 11 state-managed vaccination locations throughout New Hampshire, including Ashland, Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Keene, Laconia, Manchester, Nashua, Rochester, Salem and Stratham.
The state also closed its seven COVID-19 testing sites last week citing a decline in statewide cases, hospitalizations, and community transmission of the novel coronavirus.
“This is a significant milestone,” Sununu said. “Since the very beginning of this pandemic, the state [has] worked hard to open up access to testing. Over the last two years, members of our National Guard, volunteers, local EMS departments, and nurses and doctors have helped stand up our state-run testing sites, and we cannot thank them enough for their tireless work.”
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.