Officials in New Hampshire’s two most populated cities are raising concerns over rising COVID-19 cases.Over the past 14 days, Nashua has had an increase of 200 active COVID-19 cases, according to Mayor Jim Donchess.”We have about 24 people hospitalized right now,” Donchess said. “Nearly all of them are unvaccinated.”In Manchester, cases are up three-fold from this time last year. Officials said a combination of the more transmissible delta variant and the fact that just 54% of Manchester’s eligible population is vaccinated have contributed to 80% of the city’s ICU beds being full.Officials are stressing that adding multiple layers of protection is critical.”That’s one of our other concerns, is that the more opportunities for the virus to replicate, the more chances it could mutate. and that’s just another piece to the equation,” said Phil Alexakos, chief operations officer for the Manchester Health Department.Officials in Nashua are also issuing a warning about using home remedies to treat COVID-19.”We have learned of a couple of cases where individuals have been self-medicating with ivermectin, to the point they were hospitalized as a result of it,” said Bobbie Bagley, director of Nashua Public Health and Community Services. “If you are not in a clinical trial, you should not be taking this medication.”Ivermectin is a medication that can treat parasites in people and animals. The drug has been shown to kill viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, in the lab, but only with much higher doses than is safe to consume. There have been no scientifically valid studies that have shown it to be effective at treating COVID-19.Nashua and Manchester officials said there are no plans to mandate vaccinations for city employees.
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
Officials in New Hampshire’s two most populated cities are raising concerns over rising COVID-19 cases.
Over the past 14 days, Nashua has had an increase of 200 active COVID-19 cases, according to Mayor Jim Donchess.
“We have about 24 people hospitalized right now,” Donchess said. “Nearly all of them are unvaccinated.”
In Manchester, cases are up three-fold from this time last year. Officials said a combination of the more transmissible delta variant and the fact that just 54% of Manchester’s eligible population is vaccinated have contributed to 80% of the city’s ICU beds being full.
Officials are stressing that adding multiple layers of protection is critical.
“That’s one of our other concerns, is that the more opportunities for the virus to replicate, the more chances it could mutate. and that’s just another piece to the equation,” said Phil Alexakos, chief operations officer for the Manchester Health Department.
Officials in Nashua are also issuing a warning about using home remedies to treat COVID-19.
“We have learned of a couple of cases where individuals have been self-medicating with ivermectin, to the point they were hospitalized as a result of it,” said Bobbie Bagley, director of Nashua Public Health and Community Services. “If you are not in a clinical trial, you should not be taking this medication.”
Ivermectin is a medication that can treat parasites in people and animals. The drug has been shown to kill viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, in the lab, but only with much higher doses than is safe to consume. There have been no scientifically valid studies that have shown it to be effective at treating COVID-19.
Nashua and Manchester officials said there are no plans to mandate vaccinations for city employees.