Nov. 13 -- To the Editor:
On Nov. 12, 2021. 1,007 new situations of Covid-19 have been reported through the NH DHHS, the biggest number of circumstances in a single day on the grounds that January.
many of the circumstances, 657, had been in toddlers lower than 18 years of age, and there have been 255 hospitalized and five new deaths. probably the most contemporary seven-day typical number of situations changed into 725, a 20% boost over the old week. There are presently 6,466 lively instances within the state.
rich DiPentima
thus far, New Hampshire has suggested a total of one hundred forty four,626 cases and 1,622 deaths from COVID-19. All of those instances and deaths have came about in lower than two years, an unparalleled quantity of mortality and morbidity due to a single infectious sickness in lower than two years in our historical past.
Yet despite this horrific burden of demise and sickness, New Hampshire is treating this epidemic like no dif ferent the place there's such effective transmission of the disorder from adult to person in public locations. actually, the state has taken certain steps to both keep away from moves that they require with different communicable illnesses, or to delegate their accountability to put in force appropriate public fitness handle measures to personal fitness entities.
The method wherein the state is responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic is inconsistent with dependent State legislations. The state policy regarding communicable illnesses is contained in RSA 141-C:1 policy, which states, "The outbreak and unfold of communicable sickness trigger needless dangers to health and existence, intrude with the orderly workings of company, trade, govt, and the process of training, and disrupt the daily affairs of communities and citizens. because the manage of communicable disorder can be attained by way of own moves, the well timed intervention of medical practices, and cooperation among fitnes s care suppliers, federal, state, and municipal officers, and different businesses and organizations, it's hereby declared to be the coverage of this state that communicable illnesses be prevented, and that such occurrences be identified, managed, and, when viable, eradicated at the earliest possible time by means of software of applicable public health measures and scientific practices."
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regrettably, unlike some other communicable disease with this degree of person-to-person transmission, sickness incidence and mortality, the state has taken an method inconsistent with its stated coverage, and the manner during which it has managed different communicable disease outbreaks.
In my a long time of journey in public fitness in New Hampshire, together with Chief of Communicable sickness Epidemiology. I had been concerned within the investigation and control of many disease outbreaks. These covered Tuberculosis, meningitis, Hepatitis, chickenpox, measles, Pertussis, norovirus, shigella, E.coli. salmonella, and a lot of others. In every outbreak, the investigation and implementation of acceptable handle measures have been taken through the State Division of Public health functions, or through both local fitness departments' approved to do so. In no case of a vaccine preventable ailment changed into a state legislations passed to restrict vaccination by way of executive against that disease, as has been finished with COVID-19.
after we had outbreaks of measles, chickenpox, or Pertussis for example, requiring vaccination for these at risk of the sickness become required until there became a documented clinical or spiritual exemption. If requiring vaccination become prohibited in those circumstances, the outbreaks would have endured, multiplied and brought about many extra circumstances, as we're seeing now with COVID-19.
If there turned into no vaccine available, or the sickness outbreak become caused by a non-vaccine preve ntable agent, we would order other acceptable manage measures to steer clear of the outbreak from spreading and to conclusion the emergency. The choice to put into effect the acceptable manage measures turned into a call made through the applicable public health company accountable for the investigation. In no case become the determination to implement manage measures, or what classification of handle measures to put in force delegated to non public health individuals.
If the outbreak concerned a faculty as an instance, the necessary control measures can be discussed with the faculty administration as to how most reliable to put in force the measures, however the choice to enforce the measures changed into sooner or later a public health resolution. alas, with COVID-19, the state has once more taken an approach that isn't consistent with its mentioned coverage on communicable sickness control.
considering that requiring COVID-19 vaccination of infants age 5 and older in public colleges is unlawful by state legislations (the best vaccination prohibited with the aid of the state), some of the few final valuable measures to handle the spread of the disease in faculties is through requiring acceptable face coverings of all college students and body of workers while within the school constructing.
in contrast to with any other communicable sickness outbreak in a school, the state has left the decision to implement applicable COVID-19 public fitness control measures as much as the native faculty Board. while the state requires school food handlers to put on gloves when dealing with meals, they've left masks requirements, even within the face of an expanding severe communicable ailment chance, as much as people with no public health potential. this might not take place with some other communicable ailment, not to mention one inflicting historical numbers of instances, hospitalizations and deaths, and for which we nonetheless don't wholly bear in min d the scope of its long-time period effects on those who have been infected and continue to exist. Why?
When the historical past is written of how New Hampshire, and for that count number, the us handled the exceptional COVID-19 Pandemic, it aren't kind to many of those individuals in positions of authority who both shirked their responsibilities, abdicated their responsibilities, or who took direct motion to prevent or hamper the actions that might shop lives. they're going to deserve their area in infamy and shame.
rich DiPentima of Portsmouth spent more than 30 years as a public health legitimate and epidemiologist, including carrier as deputy public health director in Manchester and chief of communicable ailment epidemiology at the New Hampshire Division of Public fitness.
this text at first seemed on Portsmouth Herald: DiPentima: NH COVID-19 numbers are dangerous and getting worse
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