CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday it’s unrealistic to believe a coronavirus vaccine will be available by Nov. 1 - but that New Hampshire will be prepared to distribute it if it is.
Federal health officials last week instructed states to be ready to begin distribution by Nov. 1, two days before the presidential election. The timing raised suspicion among public health experts about whether the Trump administration intends to rush approval for political gain. Sununu disagreed.
“I don’t see it being politicized at all. They’re just trying to make sure we’re prepared,” he said.
The letter sent to governors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked them to expedite licensing and permitting for vaccine distribution. New Hampshire likely won’t need to do that, Sununu said, because it would use its existing public health network.
“If it comes in early November, we will be ready,” he said. “My sense is, good management would dictate that if they say it’s going to come in the December-January time frame, you’d make sure everyone’s ready on Nov. 1 in case we get lucky,” he said. “I think making sure we’re ready by Nov. 1 is a smart move.”
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said planning began in June for all the various options without yet knowing whether the vaccine would come directly from manufacturers or from the national strategic stockpile.
“We created a system for every option,” she said. “We’re in a good place when it comes to system development for mass vaccination.”
That doesn’t mean all residents would be able to get vaccinated at once, she cautioned.
“It is not vaccinating 1.3 million people in 30 days. This is going to take multiple months,” she said.
In other coronavirus-related developments:
LEARNING CENTERS
Remote learning centers serving students during the coronavirus pandemic will have to register with the state, Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday.
With many schools still closed, public and private alternatives are popping up across the nation to watch over children as they study. Sununu said the new verification system will create a framework for such centers to attest to having safety measures in place.
“It ensures that parents or legal guardians who may be in a situation where their school districts have gone remote or may be in a hybrid model have safe options for their kids,” he said.
The verification system does not apply to parents who are at home with their children, or small groups of parents who have hired private instructors with friends or neighbors, he said.
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THE NUMBERS
As of Thursday, 7,347 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 41 from the previous day. The number of deaths remained at 432. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire decreased over the past two weeks, going from 21 new cases per day on Aug. 19 to 20 new cases per day on Sept. 2.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia or death.
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