Two more highly contagious Omicron infections have been identified in New Hampshire just before the holidays, state health officials announced Thursday.
The first Omicron COVID-19 case was identified on Monday in a Cheshire County adult who was infected while traveling out of state.
“There will likely be many more to come,” State Epidemiologist Ben Chan said at a press conference Thursday. “I think the next several weeks are going to be stressful and there’s going to be increased risk for transmission and certainly hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.”
Early data suggest Omicron variant causes more infection in people who are vaccinated or were previously infected, but vaccination and booster shots appear to reduce or eliminate the symptoms.
Chan said booster doses are more important now than ever and are currently recommended and authorized for everyone who has received an initial series of COVID-19 vaccines.
Registration for another Booster Blitz event on Jan. 8 2022 will open shortly after the new year. Sites will be finalized in the next week. Sununu said the Booster Blitz earlier this month vaccinated more than 10,000 residents.
Additionally, the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services will propose a contract for six additional fixed vaccination sites to the Executive Council for approval next Wednesday.
New Hampshire has been struggling with one of the worst COVID-19 surges in the country. Six hospitals have recently opened internal surge sites to accommodate an influx of coronavirus patients. Chan said the vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated.
Sununu said 24 workers have also recently been brought into New Hampshire hospitals through FEMA who will likely stay for two weeks, to relieve the overburdened system. The state will also deploy “strike teams” of out-of-state medical professionals in the coming weeks.
“(Hospitals) are full, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But they are not closed, they’re open, they’re viable.”
To help address the rampant spread of COVID-19 throughout the state, Sununu also announced that the state would partner again with the National Institute of Health and Amazon to provide free, at-home COVID tests. He said residents will likely be able to order these tests early next week.