More at-home COVID-19 tests can be ordered as of Thursday by New Hampshire residents who didn’t get one in the first phase of this program.
Enough free tests for about 180,000 homes will be available for people “who didn’t already get one,” Gov. Chris Sununu said Wedcnesday. The tests require a saliva sample, which must be mailed in using a prepared UPS package, with results expected one or two days after it arrives at the lab.
The test, which use the more accurate PCR measurement method, can be ordered at nh.gov/covid19, by clicking the “free at-home COVID-19 PCR tests” button.
PCR tests are more accurate than antigen tests, which are prone to miss early cases of COVID-19 that don’t show symptoms. However, PCR tests must be analyzed by a laboratory rather than read at home.
New Hampshire continues to face extremely high numbers of COVID-19 patients and deaths as the winter surge continues, although there are indications that hospitalizations may have stabilized in the past week. The state also experienced its first confirmed death of a child from COVID-19.
“We’re in the peak of what we’ve been warning folks about since last August. We we always knew this would be very challenging,” Sununu said as part of Wednesday’s weekly press briefing on COVID-19.
So far only nine cases involving the Omicron variant have been identified here, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan, who said that the vast majority of New Hampshire’s cases are still caused by earlier variants, especially the Delta variant. In other parts of the country, Omicron already makes up as much as three-quarters of all cases.
The Omicron variant is proving extremely infectious and is causing cases in people who are fully vaccinated – although there are some initial signs that it may result in less serious symptoms than the Delta variant.
Medical officials are urging all fully vaccinated people age 16 and over to get a booster shot, although scheduling such shots can be difficult due to demand.
The state will be holding another Booster Blitz push on Jan. 8, where about 13,000 appointments for COVID-19 booster shots will be available at 14 state-run sties. All reservations for the first Booster Blitz were taken up within a day or so.
All people age 5 and over can get vaccinated. Chan said CDC data indicates that about one-quarter of the state’s population age 5 to 11 has started or finished their vaccinations.
The state of New Hampshire’s COVID-19 vaccine van will be in Concord on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 23. Those who need vaccinations or boosters can get shots between 2 and 6 p.m. at the State Employees’ Association at 207 N. Main St. There will be a maximum of 200 doses.
Officials urged people to get a test before any family gathering, while people who traveled and were exposed to crowds should get follow-up tests about 5 days after the travel.
In other news, Sununu said $10 million in CARES Act funds that had not yet been spent will be distributed to hospitals based on their bed count, and that 30 paramedics previously sent to the state to help overwhelmed medical facilities will be staying a few weeks longer than initially reported.
In response to a question, Sununu lashed out at widespread incorrect information about the disease.
“The misinformation really drives a lot of us crazy,” he said. “Don’t watch social media – nothing’s real on social media. It’s your doctors you can trust, your pharmacists you can trust. … The amount of misinformation out there is really disconcerting.”
