State holding surplus of shots

By now, vaccine prioritization is probably fading farther from the front of your mind.

Nearly two-thirds of people in New Hampshire who are eligible to get a vaccine have received at least their first dose. Now, the state has more vaccines than it knows what to do with — vaccine appointments are unfilled, doses are plentiful, and heath officials even resorted to offering perks, like free tickets to Lancaster fair, in exchange for getting the shot.

No one is clamoring, begging, or lobbying to get moved up in the vaccine line, unlike in February when the Monitor requested documents that related to vaccine prioritization from the Governor’s office.

The 135 pages of letters recently released by the Governor’s office offers a window into the inner workings of government and the psyche of workers on the frontline of the pandemic.

Here are the highlights: In December, the Governor received a horde of letters from lobbyists requesting prioritization for a wide variety of workers including animal control officers, election officials, beauticians, parks and recreation staff, convenience store workers, and waste water workers.

Some of the most intense lobbying came from those representing correctional officers, who were excluded from the first phase of vaccination, despite the fact that all other law enforcement officers in the state were eligible during phase 1A.

In a letter to the governor, a former corrections officer from Hillsborough County, pointed out that prison employees are eligible for the same pension as police and firefighters and receive emergency first responder training.

A representative from a Manchester-based union said that correction officers had several responsibilities that put them at risk. They are required to physically restrain infected inmates, transporting sick inmates to the hospital, and deliver food and medication to incarcerated people’s cells, the letter said.

“The current staffing levels of all the facilities is unsustainable with dozens of officers currently out because of contracting the disease,” he wrote.

A little more than a fifth of New Hampshire Department of Corrections staff tested positive for COVID-19, according to data from from the department.

School unions, as well as several individual teachers, were also staunch advocates for their prioritization in the vaccine plan. K-12 educators were placed into Phase 2A, making New Hampshire one of three states to not include teachers in Phase 1B.

“Every single day, we have to see if we have enough staff to open ... every day we have educators coming in with anxiety because they could be putting themselves or a household at risk,” wrote Syndey Leggett, the superintendent of Grantham School District. “If you are adamant about schools staying open — please recognize that schools have done their part and now we ask you to do yours.”

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Ultimately, it seems the letters did little to alter the state’s vaccination plan. Corrections officers remained in Phase 1B, teachers remained in Phase 2A, and the other disgruntled parties remained unnamed in the timeline.

How are we doing on vaccinations?

Pretty good. About 43% of Granite Staters, or nearly 600,000 people, are fully vaccinated. Our state remains near the top of the list of states in terms of the percentage of the population who have gotten at least an initial vaccine. The state may be approaching the end of its vaccine-willing residents.

According to a recent survey from the University of New Hampshire survey center, nearly all of those who are not vaccinated said they don’t plan to get a shot.

Number of new cases — what’s the trend?

Steadily declining. The 14-day average of new cases reported each day has fallen every day since last Monday. Cases haven’t been this low since November.

Number of hospitalizations — what’s the trend?

Relatively low and staying low. The number of COVID-related hospitalizations have hovered around 50 for the last week.

Number of deaths — what’s the trend? Low but stable.

Low and staying low. The state has averaged about two new deaths a day for the last two weeks.

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.