Concord Ledger

New Hampshire hospital workers are feeling stressed, as admissions for COVID-19 continue to rise to heights that haven’t been approached since February.

On Sept. 13, there were 1,215 new cases, adding to a total of 3,437 active cases, the highest point since mid-April and the most recorded cases in a single day since January, according to WMUR9.  The 154 hospitalizations were the most reported since Feb. 9.

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover reported it was beyond 100% capacity in the emergency department as COVID-19 admissions continue to mount, according to a different WMUR9 report.

“No question, hospital capacity is tight,” Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, told WMUR9.  “It has been and will continue to be as we navigate through this current surge of COVID-19 patients.”

New Hampshire also experienced a sharp rise in COVID-19 among children, as almost one-quarter of all new infections are among children under the age of 18, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

The majority of cases are occurring in those who are unvaccinated, according to Dr. Sharon Vuppula, an infectious disease pediatric physician in Nashua. Vuppula told NHPR the uptick is not unexpected, predicting that the unavailability of the vaccine to children under 12 and a low vaccination rate among teens will contribute to a high rate of infection.  

“We also have in-person school back in session,” Vuppula told NHPR. “And our practices regarding mask wearing and hand hygiene, there is a burnout.” She urged parents to have their children continue to wear masks and social-distance at school.