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Governor Sununu on the surge in COVID cases:
“We know folks are going to get COVID, but we don’t want the healthcare system to get so overrun that it effectively shuts down, and we’re not going to let that happen. That’s why we have put all of these tools in place.”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu talks about FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, deploying medical teams to New Hampshire to deal with the sharp increase in COVID hospitalizations and other steps being taken to deal with the surge; describes the availability of At-home COVID tests; and was reluctant to attribute problems in responding to the current spike in COVID cases to the legislature and the executive council.
The FEMA medical teams will be deployed to hospitals in Manchester, Nashua, and the southern tier of the state. In addition, FEMA is sending increased doses of Regeneron, a very effective monoclonal antibody treatment which should help to reduce hospitalizations.
Governor Sununu announced that New Hampshire has employed a strike team of medical professionals from other states to help out for the next two to three months. By an executive order, the National Guard will deploy 70 troops assist with administrative duties at hospitals, such as clerical work and food service.
The Governor is hopeful that the availability of COVID home tests will also reduce hospitalizations because people will be treated sooner and will quarantine at home.
“We know folks are going to get COVID, but we don’t want the healthcare system to get so overrun that it effectively shuts down, and we’re not going to let that happen. That’s why we have put all of these tools in place.”
New Hampshire is the first state to make at home COVID tests available. The Governor listed the various ways to access them, such as : going to the covid19.nh.gov website and clicking the “Free COVID-19 At-Home Test” button on the dashboard; go to vaulthealth.com/nh/; and go to the NIH-National Institutes of Health. At-Home COVID tests are also available in some schools.
Overall, Governor Sununu believes that the state’s healthcare system is currently overwhelmed, but the systems which are in place should prevent a shutdown.
When he was asked if slow action by the legislature and executive council were to blame for the current surge in COVID cases, Governor Sununu attributed the problem to an overall complacency or a COVID fatigue when it came to dealing with the possibility of a resurgence of the pandemic.