COVID-19: 7 residents test positive at Sullivan County nursing home
Staff reports
Modified: 1/8/2021 9:46:31 PM
Sullivan County Health Care on Friday said seven residents have tested positive and are in the Stearns 3 section of the nursing home at the county complex in Unity.
“We had required the use of N95 masks, including surgical masks, gowns and goggles or face shields to enter Stearns 3, and (are) providing resident care precautions on all floors,” nursing home Administrator Ted Purdy said in a letter to relatives of residents.
The positive cases among residents come after at least eight workers at the nursing home had tested positive. Staff and residents began receiving COVID-19 vaccinations this week. The county nursing home has 117 residents and 107 staff members.
Dartmouth College outlines losses due to pandemic
Staff Report
Modified: 12/29/2020 9:26:52 PM
HANOVER Dartmouth College is projecting that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a $91 million impact on its fiscal year 2021 budget, but that budget cuts and the use of some reserve funds are helping to close the shortfall.
With the college only allowing about half of undergraduates on campus for the fall and winter terms and offering many classes remotely, Dartmouth Chief Financial Officer Michael Wagner this week said via email that the college is seeing a shortfall of about $46 million in tuition, room and board and fees.
That includes factoring in $18 million in savings on scholarships that weren’t needed, though the college is also budgeting $8 million in additional scholarship payments to meet an increased need for help among students whose families have lost jobs in the pandemic.
But because of the pandemic, Christmas celebrations will be quieter this year.
COVID-19 has hit New Hampshire nursing homes hard over the course of the pandemic. Hanover Terrace is no exception. It s been battling a COVID outbreak since Thanksgiving: Nearly 100 residents and staff were infected, and at least six residents have died.
In the wake of the outbreak, there’s been an outpouring of support for residents and staff. School kids wrote hundreds of cards and put goodie bags together. The local fire department cleared ice dams from the building to make window visits easier.
“To see our residents faces when they get these extra gifts of support and cards, it’s a connection to the outside world, said Martha Ilsley, the nursing home’s administrator. “Just knowing everyone is there for them has made a really big difference.”
COVID-19 roundup: Vermont eases guidelines a bit for holiday gatherings
Staff and Wire Reports
Modified: 12/22/2020 9:16:19 PM
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced a slight relaxation of the restrictions on social gatherings to allow two trusted households to gather over the holidays as the state’s coronavirus case numbers have stabilized, although they are still higher than the administration would like to see.
“It’s been a little over a month since we took significant steps to slow the rising spread of the virus. And it’s clearly working,” Scott said at his bi-weekly virus briefing on Friday.
The state has seen several days of fewer than 100 cases, which is still high but shows vast improvement, he said.
White River Junction VA starts administering Moderna vaccine
Joanne Burgess, associate chief of pharmacy and Frank Gesek, chief of pharmacy, bring in the first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be administered by physician assistant Crystal Colby, right, and others at the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt., on Dec. 21, 2020. The hospital received 900 doses that will be given over the next couple of weeks to frontline workers first, then to high-risk veterans at no cost. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.