COVID-19: NH announces vaccine sign-up dates for all adults

CONCORD — By the end of next week, everyone ages 16 and older will be eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday.

■The next group, ages 40-49, will be eligible to register on the state’s site — known as VINI — on Monday.

■The group after that, ages 30-39, can register as of Wednesday.

■The last group ages 16-29, can sign up next Friday. The vaccine has not yet been approved for children under 16.

“We feel fairly confident that everyone should be able to get their first shot by Memorial Day,” Sununu said.

Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for those ages 16-18, and sites will note that for that group.

The news comes as infections and the test positivity rate are on the rise. Sununu said he plans to renew the state’s mask mandate, which expires Friday, for three more weeks.

“There is no one specific cause for these increases,” said Benjamin Chan, state epidemiologist. “The increasing infections are being seen across multiple, different age groups, primarily in people under the age of 60. ... These increases are more pronounced in the younger age demographics, teenagers and people in their 20s.”

on Saturday for BIPOC residents

LEBANON — The Public Health Council of the Upper Valley is holding a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for Granite Staters who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color on Saturday, according to the council’s director.

Registration for the clinic was full early on Friday morning, according to Alice Ely, the Public Health Council’s director. There was a 10 a.m. deadline on Friday to register.

Those who qualify for the clinic must be Upper Valley residents age 18 or older. The clinic is scheduled to take place in Lebanon from 12:15 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Two federally qualified health centers in the Upper Valley are among the 11 Vermont health centers that will receive a total of $33.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding for COVID-19 vaccinations and services, according to a release.

Of that total, Springfield (Vt.) Medical Care Systems is set to receive $4 million and Randolph-based Gifford Health Care $2.5 million.

Ten health centers in New Hampshire also are slated to receive a total of $20.2 million. That includes $2.1 million for the Littleton, N.H.-based Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, which has a clinic in Woodsville.

The funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration are expected to arrive beginning in April and can be used to for COVID-19 vaccination, testing and treatment for vulnerable populations; delivering preventive and primary health care services to those at higher risk for COVID-19; and expanding health centers’ operational capacity, including modifying and improving physical infrastructure and adding mobile units.

for vaccine appointments

MONTPELIER — Registration opened Thursday for Vermonters ages 60 and older to make appointments for coronavirus vaccines.

More than 11,200 Vermonters in the age group signed up on the first day, according to the Health Department.

There were technical problems with the state health department’s online registration system early Thursday morning that were later resolved, the department said. Some people scheduled testing appointments instead of vaccine appointments and the Health Department was reaching out to those who were impacted, a department spokesman said.

People can make sure they made the appropriate appointment by logging back into their online accounts, the Health Department said. Vaccine appointments have a needle icon on the left side and incorrect appointments can be canceled and rescheduled, officials said.

The preferred method is to sign up through the Vermont Health Department’s website. People who cannot make an appointment online may call 855-722-7878 to register. The state has returned to age groupings for vaccine sign-ups. Vermonters age 50 and older can start signing up for appointments on Monday.

WEST LEBANON — More than $200,000 in CARES Act grant funding is up for grabs through a Community Development Block Grant program for small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Grafton County.

The Grafton Regional Development Corp. and three partner regional economic development corporations — Belknap, Coos, and Wentworth — will be making grants to help low- to moderate-income microenterprises and startups offset costs associated with preparing for, responding to or recovering from the pandemic. The Community Development Finance Authority is administering the program.

Qualifying businesses may receive up to $2,500 in direct grant funding for equipment costs, operational expenses, working capital and minor construction or modification projects.

To qualify, businesses must be classified as for-profit entities with five or fewer employees, be in current operation or in startup mode, located within Grafton County and meet specific income requirements.

For more information or to apply, visit www.graftonrdc.org/business-assistances/grants or contact Britta Hallberg at 603-536-2011 ext. 1 or email connect@graftonrdc.org.

CLAREMONT — The Claremont Soup Kitchen is set to reopen for indoor dining, according to its Facebook page.

Beginning Monday, people will once again be able to eat indoors. The soup kitchen had switched to takeout only in January, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city.

are learning remotely

BRADFORD, Vt. — A COVID-19 case at Bradford Elementary School forced two sixth-grade classes to shift to remote learning through Friday, according to school officials.

School officials first learned of the case, which originated outside of the school, on Wednesday morning, said Orange East Supervisory Union Assistant Superintendent Bruce Williams in a message to families.

Williams said the move to remote learning for the two classes was necessary to allow for contact tracing and deep cleaning. He also said that students are asked to remain in quarantine in their homes and yards during the remote learning period.