New Hampshire passed a tragic milestone in the pandemic this week, recording the state’s 1,000th death from COVID-19. But there was also some good news. On Tuesday, the state began what will likely be a months-long campaign to vaccinate those aged 65 and up, as well as younger people with serious medical conditions - what it refers to as "Phase 1B" of its rollout.
NHPR’s Todd Bookman spoke with All Things Considered host Emily Quirk to discuss the current stage of the pandemic, and a new challenge emerging in recent days: getting timely second doses of the vaccine.
(Editor's note: the following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity)
Emily Quirk: Help us put 1,000 deaths in perspective. Besides the human toll, how does this number compare to other causes of death in New Hampshire?
Todd Bookman: The state records roughly 12,000 resident fatalities each year, with the leading causes of death being cancer and heart disease. But in 2020, COVID-19 also became one of the leading causes.
So, just to put that 1,000 deaths number in perspective, in 2019, the year before COVID emerged, about 300 residents died of heart attacks, fewer than 100 died in motor vehicle accidents, and there were around 500 deaths from Alzheimer ’s disease.
The flu, which some people compared COVID-19 too in the early stages of the pandemic, killed 31 people in 2019. So more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in less than a year, that dwarfs all those numbers. The risk of the coronavirus, especially to older Granite Staters, is pretty clear.
EQ: Well, those older Granite Staters - people 65 and up - are now beginning to receive their vaccinations, along with residents who have serious medical conditions. How has the launch of this process gone?
TB: It’s worked for some. It hasn’t for others.
(Click here to read NHPR's complete guide to vaccine distribution)
The sign-up process to schedule vaccines requires completing two different forms online: a state website and then the CDC’s form, also known as VAMS. We’ve heard lots of people say the multiple steps are confusing, or they aren’t getting the appropriate confirmation emails, and that bears out in the numbers.
More than 200,000 completed the first step, but only around 120,000 people have been able to make their first dose appointments. So tens of thousands of people starting but not finishing the process, a pretty sizeable gap.
EQ: For those who have been able to complete the process, the first doses were given on Tuesday. We saw photos of some very happy people getting their shots in their car, the National Guard coordinating the process…
TB: Yes, by all accounts, those who are getting appointments and arriving on site aren’t facing any serious delays. Right now there are around a dozen sites operating statewide, and these sites kind of got a test run in recent weeks, as this is where first responders went to get their doses.
So now that more people are eligible, including those 65 and up, the system of administering the shots right in your car seems to be going well.
EQ: But the system for coordinating that second shot...not so much. What’s the latest on people getting appointments for the second vaccine dose?
TB: This issue emerged just in the last day or two. Once you get the first dose, people need to log back into the system to make an appointment for a second dose.
NHPR has heard from no small number of people who say the system is fully booked up for weeks.
“When I went through and saw the dates, I was kind of stunned because the earliest I could get was 57 days out,” Deborah Woodward of North Hampton told us.
EQ: So 57 days between the first and second dose: that’s way longer than we’ve heard about the recommended interval between these shots, right?
TB: Right, and this has a lot of people concerned. The Pfizer version of the vaccine is designed to be given no less than 21 days apart, Moderna’s version 28 apart. Those are the minimums. That was how these vaccines were tested and cleared for use.
And according to the CDC, getting as close to that recommended interval is ideal. But that’s not exactly what we are hearing from state officials. This week, Gov. Chris Sununu was asked about the long lag time 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 extended period of time, all indications are, that it can be stretched out a little bit.”
But the CDC’s website says the window between doses 1 and 2 shouldn’t extend longer than 42 days, or 6 weeks. After that, the drug companies don’t have data on the efficacy of the vaccines.
That’s left a lot of people concerned and frustrated about the scheduling of a second dose.
EQ: So what’s the state doing about that?
TB: Nothing has been formalized yet, but the state says it is going to open up new appointment slots for those getting the second dose. Right now, officials say go ahead and make that second appointment in the system, even if it is more than 6 weeks out, and the state is going to somehow contact or reschedule people at some point with earlier appointments. We just don’t know when that process may start.
And it does raise the question of why the system isn’t already designed to make both appointments at once.
