5 More Deaths; 656 New Positive Coronavirus Test Results In NH

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire health officials announced another 656 new positive test results in the state including 71 children while also revising results from prior days.

A little more than 400 tested positive via polymerase chain reaction tests while 254 used antigen tests. However, not all of the 656 cases were from recent tests.

According to the state, 296 of today's results were from tests actually collected on Dec. 2. State officials revised Wednesday's totals to 1,079 tests — or the highest single one-day amount and the only, so far, testing day at more than 1,000 tests. The state collected 5,460 tests Saturday but only 62 of today's count were from those tests. Past testing amounts were also revised. Nearly 300 of today's tests were also from Friday.

State health officials are still processing thousands of test results and the total number of new positives is incomplete, Sunday's report stated. Their information will be included in future reports.

There are 4,654 active infections in New Hampshire.

The State Joint Information Center said 184 of the new cases live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 180 reside in Rockingham County, 84 live in Merrimack County, and 42 live in Nashua. Another 51 have no identified address.

Another five elderly men also died Saturday, the state said. They were all 60 years of age or older. Two lived in Hillsborough County, and one each lived in Belknap, Rockingham, and Strafford counties. There have been 564 fatalities in the state or 2 percent of all infections.

The state said 169 people are in the hospital with 3 percent of all infections needing hospitalization.

Nearly 441,000 Granite Staters, about 31.3 percent of the population, have been tested via PCR test and another 33,568 tested via antibody lab test. About 892,000 tests have been administered.

There are only five active cases at colleges in New Hampshire and 78 in K-12 schools with 771 recovered cases. The state reported only one new case in the state — at the Hudson Memorial School, which also has four recovered cases.

Two days ago, there were 101 cases connected to K-12 schools in the Granite State.

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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 confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into 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.

• Guidance to schools can be found can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 are available 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.

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