New Hampshire hit a tragic milestone in the pandemic this week, recording the state’s 1,000th death from COVID-19. But there was also good news. On Tuesday, the state launched a month-long campaign to vaccinate people 65 and older, as well as younger people with serious medical conditions – calling it ‘phase 1B’ of its implementation.
NHD’s Todd Bookman spoke to him All things considered host Emily Quirk to discuss the current stage of the pandemic, and a new challenge emerging over the past few days: getting the second dose of the vaccine on time.
(Editor’s note: the following transcript has been softened for reasonableness)
Emily Quirk: Help us put 1,000 deaths into perspective. Besides the number of people, how does this number compare to other causes of death in New Hampshire?
Todd Bookman: The state records about 12,000 deaths annually, with the leading causes of death being cancer and heart disease. But in 2020, COVID-19 also became one of the major causes.
To put the thousand-death rate into perspective, in 2019, the year before COVID emerged, about 300 residents died of heart attacks, less than 100 died in car accidents, and there are about 500 deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease.
The flu, which some people also compared to COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic, killed 31 people in 2019. More than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in less than a year, dwarfing all those numbers. The risk of the coronavirus, especially for older granite staters, is quite clear.
EQ: Well, the older granite staters – people 65 and older – are now starting to get their vaccinations, along with residents who have serious medical conditions. How did the start of this process go?
TB: It worked for some. It is not for others.
(Click here to read the complete guide to vaccine distribution through NHPR)
The vaccination planning application process must complete two different forms online: a state website and then the CDC form, also known as VAMS. We have heard many people say that the multiple steps are confusing, or that they are not getting the appropriate confirmation emails, and this is evident from the numbers.
More than 200,000 completed the first step, but only about 120,000 people were able to make their first dose appointments. So tens of thousands of people starting the process but not completing it are a pretty big gap.
EQ: For those who were able to complete the process, the first doses were given on Tuesday. We have seen photos of many happy people getting their shots in their car, and the National Guard is coordinating the process …
TB: Yes, those who make appointments and arrive on the premises do not, according to all accounts, face any serious delays. At the moment, there are about a dozen sites working across the country, and the sites have had a test run over the past few weeks, as this is where first responders are going to get their doses.
Now that more people are eligible, including 65 and older, the system for applying the shots directly to your car seems to be going well.
EQ: But the system for coordinating the second shot … not so much. What’s the latest fact that people are getting appointments for the second dose of vaccine?
TB: This issue only appeared in the last day or two. Once you get the first dose, people have to log back in to the system to make a second dose.
NHPR has heard of the small number of people saying that the system has been fully booked for weeks.
“When I went through and saw the dates, I was a little surprised because the earliest I could get was 57 days out,” Northborough Deborah Woodward told us.
EQ: 57 days between the first and second dose: it’s much longer than what we heard about the recommended interval between these shots, right?
TB: Right, and there are a lot of people involved about it. The Pfizer version of the vaccine is designed to give no less than 21 days apart, Moderna’s version 28 apart. This is the minimum. This is how these vaccines are tested and cleaned for use.
And according to the CDC, it is ideal to get so close to the recommended interval. But that’s not exactly what we’re hearing about government officials. This week, Governor Chris Sununu was asked about the long delay between doses, and he basically said not to worry:
“It does not affect the effectiveness in terms of when you get the second dose,” Sununu said. ‘The first dose remains very effective and you get the second dose. There is a very long time, everything suggests that it can be stretched a bit. ‘
However, the CDC’s website states that the window between doses 1 and 2 should not last longer than 42 days or 6 weeks. Thereafter, the drug companies did not have information on the effectiveness of the vaccines.
There are many people who are worried and frustrated about the schedule of a second dose.
EQ: What is the state doing about it?
TB: Nothing has been formalized yet, but the state says it will open new appointment slots for those receiving the second dose. At the moment, officials say the second appointment should be entered into in the system, even if it is more than 6 weeks out, and the state is going to contact people or somehow reschedule with earlier appointments. We just do not know when the process can begin.
And this raises the question of why the system is not already designed to make both appointments at the same time.