Sept 30 – Follow your own rules and Thanksgiving prep

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Quite a change

Most people are doing what they can to be safer, and it is quite a change from normal life. Most of you have avoided large gatherings that you would normally have hosted or attended. Most of you have prudently canceled unnecessary trips. Because of your efforts, we are in better shape than other places. With kids going back to school and staged business re-openings, we will have better data because the risks are higher. The things you have done to get us here are worth it, and I thank you. ~ Steve

Hospitals seek more aid, legislators ask for more data

By Kevin Landrigan New Hampshire Union Leader

 Updated 

CONCORD — Despite receiving more than $300 million in federal aid, New Hampshire’s hospitals warn they could face record losses by year’s end without additional COVID-19 relief from Congress.

New Hampshire Hospital Association President Steven Ahnen said by the end of September, the hospitals’ losses will total $187 million more than all their revenues — after $329 million of COVID-19 assistance.

The hospitals expect to lose nearly another $100 million by the end of December, he said.

“We are going to need help to get us through to the other side,” Ahnen said. More at Union Leader

Maskless meetings, carpooling to blame for faculty and staff COVID numbers at UNH

By Kimberley Haas Union Leader Correspondent

Updated

After seeing the number of COVID-19 cases among students on its three campuses drop dramatically, the University of New Hampshire is now dealing with a sharp rise in cases involving faculty and staff, at least partly because safety policies weren’t followed, officials said.

As of Monday, 34 current COVID-19 cases on the Durham, Manchester and Concord campuses involved faculty and staff members, compared to nine cases among students.

The nine students are in isolation. Throughout the UNH system, 56 students are in quarantine.

Officials blame carpooling and staff meetings where masks haven’t been worn for some of the non-student cases.

“Based on contact tracing, we know that some of these came from not following our own policies, like staff meetings without masks and carpooling,” said UNH spokeswoman Erika Mantz. More at Union Leader

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together. Travel increases the chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others. If you must travel, be informed of the risks involved.

Lower risk activities

  • Having a small dinner with only people who live in your household
  • Preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others
  • Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family
  • Shopping online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the next Monday
  • Watching sports events, parades, and movies from home

Moderate risk activities

  • Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community
  • Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
  • Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
  • Attending a small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place

Higher risk activities

Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:

  • Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving
  • Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race
  • Attending crowded parades
  • Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
  • Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated as of September 29, 2020, 9:00 AM)

Number of Persons with COVID-19 1 8,233
Recovered 7,463 (91%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 439 (5%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 331
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 738 (9%)
Current Hospitalizations 13
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)2 270,204
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody Laboratory Tests2 31,078
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 46,757
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 993
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 2,725

1 Includes specimens positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2 Includes specimens tested at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mako, certain hospital laboratories, the University of New Hampshire and their contracted laboratory, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity.
3 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.

 

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Liberty Utilities Gas Increase

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Liberty Utilities is proposing a significant increase in their gas prices.

The Order of Notice and proposed rate increases can be reviewed here:

DG 20-141 Liberty Utilities (EnergyNorth Natural Gas) Corp. d/b/a Liberty Utilities

https://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Orders%20of%20Notice/20200909-DG20141-OoN-Liberty-Cost-Of-Gas-LDAC.pdf

According to the Order of Notice, the Commission will hold a web-enabled remote hearing, pursuant to N.H. Admin. R., Puc 203.12, on October 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

Members of the public who wish to access the hearing may do so by clicking here: https://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Calendar-09/09/2020-4 -DG 20-141Remote.html

For further details on the PUC docket for this Liberty Utilities proposal, click on the following link: https://puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2020/20-141.htmlWritten comments from the public can be submitted beforehand to the email address puc@puc.nh.gov and the subject line for the email should be “DG 20-141 Liberty Cost of Gas”. Liberty Utilities customers sending questions or information are encouraged to specify that they are a customer in their email. If an individual hopes to have their question answered during the hearing, they should specify so in their email to the commission.

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Sept 28 Update – Migration and Vaccines

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Incoming

The population boomed in Winhall, Vt., as people left cities to get away from Covid-19 hot spots. State planners are hoping that many of the 10,000 newcomers who arrived this summer will stay. But in a town like Winhall, where everyone knows one another, officials are hard-pressed to keep up with the burst of growth

And on some U.S. college campuses, where a Times survey has found at least 130,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, students are being hired as Covid-19 safety influencers.

Investors think Lebanon biotech startup may be a winner in the fight against the coronavirus

“On June 11, as the number of people infected with COVID-19 reached 8 million worldwide and U.S. deaths reached 122,000, Tillman Gerngross invited 20 biotech investors to join a Zoom video conference call where he presented plans to start a company aiming to develop antibodies to fight the novel coronavirus.Even before the one-hour video conference call was over, investors were ready to pony up a majority of the $40 million Gerngross was seeking. The response was so strong that he raised his goal to $50 million.” More at Valley News

Chinese Vaccine

Three vaccine candidates are being injected into workers whom the government considers essential along with many others, with plans to give shots to even more people, amounting to a big wager that the vaccines will eventually prove safe and effective.The unproven vaccines could have harmful side effects. Ineffective vaccines could lead to a false sense of security and encourage behavior that could lead to even more infections.

$200 Million to State and Local Officials for COVID-19 Vaccine Preparedness

On Wednesday, September 23, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced  upcoming action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide $200 million to jurisdictions for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness.

Funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) will provide critical infrastructure support to existing grantees through CDC’s immunization cooperative agreement. CDC is awarding $200 million to 64 jurisdictions through the existing Immunizations and Vaccines for Children cooperative agreement. These funds, along with the previous support CDC has provided, will help states prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine.

How the coronavirus could impact flu season

COVID Update

Fifty-three new positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in New Hampshire, health officials said Sunday.

There have now been 439 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in New Hampshire. With 8,172 total cases and 7,403 recoveries, there are currently 330 active cases in the state.

Four of the new cases were in people under the age of 18, officials said.

Two more people were hospitalized with COVID-19, officials said. There have been 736 people hospitalized in New Hampshire for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, while 20 people are currently hospitalized.

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated as of September 27, 2020, 9:00 AM)

Number of Persons with COVID-19 1 8,172
Recovered 7,403 (91%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 439 (5%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 330
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 736 (9%)
Current Hospitalizations 20
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)2 267,486
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody Laboratory Tests2 31,030
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 46,585
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 1,585
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 2,400

1 Includes specimens positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2 Includes specimens tested at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mako, certain hospital laboratories, the University of New Hampshire and their contracted laboratory, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity.
3 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.



Active Cases Dashboard  |  Active Cases Map pdf file

Cumulative Cases Dashboard  |  Cumulative Cases Map pdf file

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