CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire is seeing rising COVID-19 cases, and state officials are urging people to get vaccinated before an anticipated fall surge.
“The vaccine is a way out. You’ve gotta get the vaccine,” Gov. Chris Sununu said at a news conference Thursday.
Sununu said officials are looking at what’s going on in other parts of the country, such as in Florida, which is experiencing a high hospitalization and death rate. He said people in New Hampshire “still have time” to get the vaccine to make sure those high rates don’t reach the state.
He said the surge in New Hampshire, expected in November and December, “could be as bad as anything we’ve seen.”
As of Thursday, 822,000 residents had received at least a first dose of the vaccine, and 752,000 people were fully vaccinated, or 53.8%. About 1,000 people are getting vaccinated each week.
Sununu said communities, schools, and businesses should plan for the long term in thinking of their efforts and methods to prevent the spread of the virus.
“But whatever those decisions are today, understand they may be in place for quite some time,” he said.
He added, “We’re not just putting mitigation efforts in our communities, in our places of work for the next month or two hoping that COVID will be gone by Christmas. It is not going to be gone by Christmas, not by any means.”
In other coronavirus-related news:
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PANDEMIC PROGRAM-FRAUD
Two New Hampshire men have been charged with participating in schemes to defraud government programs that provide economic assistance related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The men laid off employees from two companies that they controlled, according to a federal indictment. However, they directed the workers to continue working for the companies while collecting unemployment insurance payments from the New Hampshire Employment Security agency.
The payments included the additional $600 emergency weekly benefits provided for by the federal CARES Act, the indictment said.
The indictment also alleges that one of the men, who also is charged with aggravated identity theft, applied for an Economic Injury Disasters Loan funded through the U.S. Small Business Administration, and a Paycheck Protection Program loan. He allegedly provided false information on the loan applications and improperly using personal identifying information of one of the company’s employees to obtain the funds.
Both men were arrested Wednesday and were released pending their trial, which is scheduled for Oct 5.
Messages to their lawyers seeking comment were left Thursday.
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THE NUMBERS
More than 102,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 310 cases announced Thursday. One new death was announced, bringing the total to 1,394.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 56 new cases per day on July 27 to 154 new cases per day on Tuesday.
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