Elizabeth Dragon Todd I.

Selig Julia Griffin

City Manager Administrator Town Manager
Keene Durham Hanover

Joseph Devine Kimberly Hallquist Kathy Lowe

Town Administrator Town Administrator Town Manager
Henniker New London Plymouth

Joyce Craig Jim Donchess

Mayor of Manchester Mayor of Nashua

April 1, 2021

The Honorable Christopher Sununu

Office of the Governor, State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301

Dear Governor Sununu:

We write on behalf of our respective communities seeking the opportunity to work with you, the
NH Department of Health and Human Services, and the colleges/universities we host to develop
a plan to include the extension of vaccinations to roughly 20,000 temporary New Hampshire
residents who are densely congregated and interspersed with our residents in several college
communities throughout the state. You and your public health team have emphasized the
importance of vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, and we agree.

Collectively our municipalities host the following colleges/universities: Manchester - Grarxite

State College; University of New Hampshire, Manchester; New England College; Southern New
Hampshire University; Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; SairxtAnselm
College; Franklin Pierce University; Manchester Community College. Nashua - Rivier
University; Hellenic American University; Granite State College; Nashua Community College.
Hanover - Dartmouth College. Henniker - New England College. New London - Colby-
Sawyer College. Plymouth - Plymouth State University. Keene - Keene State College.
Durham - University of New Hampshire, Durham.

You have noted the logistical difficulties of administering the vaccine, particularly the two-dose
vaccines, to the college population given the time remaining in the spring semester. This will no
doubt be a challenge, but it is one we hope to have the opportunity to address with the
colleges/universities we host. Over the last year, the state's colleges and universities have
demonstrated their ability to rise to meet the demands of the pandemic. We believe, working
together collectively and with your support, that we can do so in this case in a way that
appropriately utilizes the state's vaccine supply to enhance the public health of our individual
communities, our regions, and New Hampshire as a whole. We know that the first dose of the
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide enhanced immunity to the COVID-19 virus and decreases
the chance of serious infection. The Johnson & Johnson "one shot and done" vaccine offers full
protection just 14-days following inoculation.
Letter to Governor Christopher Sununu
April 1, 2021- Page 2

Two key points are relevant for consideration:

1. The U.S. Census counts all college students residing in a community while attending
school, irrespective of their home state, as NH residents. We understand that the vaccine
is distributed to U.S. states on a pro-rated, per capita basis. This means that the number
of college students from other states attending school in NH have been included in NH's
vaccine allocation.
2. We note on the NH.Gov COVID webpage that if NH students attending college or
university elsewhere obtained their first shot out of state, they are eligible to obtain their
second shot in NH. Why do we not extend the same courtesy to out-of-state students that
other states have extended to our own students?

Throughout the pandemic, you and your fellow New England and Northeastern governors have
endeavored to work across state lines to address the public health crisis as a well-coordinated
region. We are hopeful that coordination can continue on this issue so that we do not
inadvertently create a patchwork of regulation that makes it unnecessarily difficult for our
college student population to obtain a vaccine. The logistics of students leaving the state for
vaccinations and returning to our communities creates the potential for increased spread of the
virus among our citizens. Many college students, including international students, those working
or pursuing internships within the region, and those enrolled in summer courses, do not leave our
communities during the surnrner and would be stuck in limbo if not allowed access to
vaccinations.

Any effort we can make to vaccinate all of our local population, including college/university
students - who live, work, and participate in the economies of communities around the state -
will be a benefit to New Hampshire and all of our residents. We are all too aware that many of
the new COVID-19 cases reported in New Hampshire do link back to students on the campuses
in our communities. Despite intensive and ongoing public health campaigns and masking
requirements, we expect controlling case counts will continue to be a challenge for the remainder
of the semester. Controlling the spread of the virus on our campuses will have an immediate
beneficial impact on others in the community who may interact with college/university students
in the grocery store, at the local pharmacy, in our restaurants and commercial/retail
establishments, and will be critical to reducing the state's overall case count.

We thank you for your consideration concerning this important issue.

Sincerely,

Joyce Craig, Mayor of Manchester

Jim Donchess, Mayor of Nashua
Julia Griffin, Town Manager, Hanover
Joseph Devine, Town Administrator, Henniker
Kimberly Hallquist, Town Administrator, New London
Kathy Lowe, Town Manager, Plymouth
Elizabeth Dragon, City Manager, Keene
Todd Selig, Administrator, Durham