CONCORD — A more infectious coronavirus variant has been detected in a New Hampshire resident for the first time, state health officials said Friday.
An adult from Hillsborough county tested positive for the variant first found in the United Kingdom. The person had close contact with someone who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 after international travel, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Close household contacts were identified via contact tracing, and those involved have followed isolation, quarantine and testing guidance. Officials said they do not believe the case poses a risk to the community.
Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state epidemiologist, said the variant’s presence in New Hampshire is not surprising.
The next age group in Vermont eligible for coronavirus vaccinations — people 70 and older — may start registering for required vaccine appointments next week, state officials announced Friday.
Appointments can be made starting at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday on the Health Department’s website, which is encouraged, or by calling 855-722-7878, said Human Services Secretary Mike Smith at the governor’s twice-weekly virus briefing. The vaccine center is open seven days a week, from 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
“We would urge you to use the online registration system … while recognizing that some may prefer calling,” he said.
Those seeking appointments should pick a vaccine site closest to their home, Smith said. While the registration period doesn’t open until next week, people who plan to register online can create an account online ahead of time, he said.
Vermonters aged 75 and older may still register for vaccine appointments, Smith said. So far, 38% of them and 538 homebound Vermonters have received their first dose of the vaccine, he said.
Walgreens is participating in the federal pharmacy vaccine program and will receive doses above the state allotment, Smith said. The retailer was starting vaccine clinics for Vermonters 75 and older on Friday and on Tuesday will schedule appointments for Vermonters ages 75 and up, he said.
People can register for appointments through the Walgreens link on the Health Department website or on the Walgreens website.
In the calendar published Friday, House Speaker Sherm Packard, R-Londonderry, said the House will meet Feb. 24 and 25 at a sports complex in Bedford. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers have met several times at the University of New Hampshire ice arena, outside on a UNH athletic field, and last month from their cars in a parking lot.
Packard said the NH Sportsplex facility includes more than 50,000 square feet of floor space, more than double the usable area at the UNH arena.
Former House Speaker Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, died of COVID-19 a week after being sworn in at the outdoor session in December. Democrats have pushed for remote sessions, but Republican House leaders have said is not possible because no rules exist to allow it, while blocking attempts to create such rules.
Classes have moved online and students face tighter restrictions after a “dramatic and sustained” rise in the number of COVID-19 cases at the University of New Hampshire.
Spring semester classes began Feb. 1. As of Thursday night, there were 265 active cases among students and four among faculty and staff.
The university halted a pilot program to begin allowing fans to return to athletic events, and no spectators were to be allowed at a men’s hockey game Friday night. Social gatherings are limited to no more than six people, and students cannot visit other residence halls or apartment buildings.
Gov. Chris Sununu has rescinded the state hiring freeze he enacted early on during the pandemic.
The order issued in April required any vacant positions remain vacant, with some exceptions.
The intent was to save money at a time when state officials expected a revenue shortfall of up to $350 million because of the pandemic, but that estimate has since shrunk to less than $50 million.
Thirteen inmates and three staffers at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans have tested positive for COVID-19, the Vermont Department of Corrections said Friday.
One staff member at the state prison in Springfield and one at Burlington Probation and Parole also have been infected, the department said.
The St. Albans prison was locked down because of an outbreak Jan. 28 and will continue to be locked down after testing this week resulted in the new cases, officials said.
The outbreak appears to be contained to two units at the prison, officials said. Contact tracing is continuing and those who tested positive are being placed in medical quarantine, the department said.
Vermont reported 160 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, for a statewide total since the pandemic began of more than 13,400. One new death was reported for a total of 189 to date.
The Health Department reported that 47 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 11 in intensive care.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 134.71 on Jan. 28 to 106.57 on Feb. 11.