1,005 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In New Hampshire In A Week

CONCORD, NH — Two more Granite Staters have died due to or related to COVID-19 during the past week, according to state health officials.

One was a man from Cheshire County while a woman from Hillsborough County also died. One was between 60 and 69 and the other was in the 70 to 79 age bracket. State health officials said 1,389 people have died since March 2020 connected to the pandemic or about 1.37 percent of all infections.

During the past seven days, another 1,005 New Hampshire residents became infected with the virus for a total of 101,662 people, or about 7.5 percent of the state’s 1.36 million population. About 25 percent of the new cases were residents 19 or under while 39 were health care employees and 18 were residents in long-term care settings.

According to the state, around one-quarter of all infections were contracted after a person had contact with another person with coronavirus. Another 17 percent were from community transmission with about 13 percent associated with a cluster association. Only 3.2 percent contracted the virus while traveling while around 44 percent did not know how they got the virus.

More than 60 percent of residents have at least one vaccine shot with 51.2 percent of all of the state’s residents fully vaccinated.

There are three active institutional outbreaks: At Epsom Health Center, where six residents and two staffers have become infected; the Berlin federal prison, where five are sick and one staffer is infected; and the Rockingham County Nursing Home where two residents and three staffers are sick.

There are around 38 people hospitalized with 1,664 or 1.63 percent of all infections requiring more extensive care. Around 2.55 million tests have been administered with 59.6 percent of residents receiving at least one test during the last 18 months.

Two active cases were connected to a K-12 school setting: One at the North End Montessori School in Manchester and another at the Mary Dondero Elementary School in Portsmouth. There are four cases connected to colleges and universities in New Hampshire — all at Dartmouth College in Hanover.

During the past week, a number of communities showed increased rates of infection compared to last week and the week before.

In Nashua, 60 people are currently infected while 29 were reported in Salem, 25 in Bedford, and 24 in Londonderry. Another 19 were reported in Merrimack, 17 in Portsmouth, 15 in Exeter and Milford, 13 in Concord, and 11 in Hampton. Amherst reported nine active cases while North Hampton reported seven.

ALSO READ:

• 505 New Coronavirus Cases In New Hampshire In A Week: Update
• A Quarter Of New COVID-19 Cases In NH Are Health Care Workers
• While COVID-19 Cases Are Low, Delta Variant Raises Concern In NH
• Public Schools Lose Students As NH Parents Rethink COVID-19
• New Hampshire Democrats Condemn Sununu's COVID-19 Stance, Back Mandatory Vaccines

Stop The Spread Of COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus is spread through respiratory droplets, usually through coughing and sneezing, and exposure to others who are sick or might be showing symptoms.

Health officials emphasize residents should follow these recommendations:

• Avoid any domestic and international travel, especially on public transportation such as buses, trains, and airplanes.
• Practice social distancing. Stay at least 6 feet from other people, including distancing while in waiting areas or lines.
• When you can't practice 6 feet of social distancing, wear a face covering.
• Anyone who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to not go out to public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic and underlying health conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers should work from home as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that the virus can survive for hours or possibly days on surfaces. People should clean frequently touched surfaces, including door handles, grocery carts, and grocery basket handles, etc.

Take the same precautions as you would if you were sick:

• Stay home and avoid public places.
• Wear a face covering.
• Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

More information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services about coronavirus can be found here on the department's website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Schools, Employers, Employees, and Businesses (Can your employer force you to get the vaccine? It depends).

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Healthcare Providers and Public Health Partners

• Guidance to schools can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 are available here.
• For more information on COVID-19 in NH, visit its site here.
• For the latest information from the CDC, visit its site here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 data dashboard, click on this link here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 Interactive Map Dashboard, click on this link here.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.