Coronavirus In New Hampshire: 24 More Deaths; 912 New Cases

CONCORD, NH — Wednesday was another deadly day for COVID-19 in New Hampshire as state health officials announced the passing of 24 more people in the state.

Of the two-dozen people who died, 18 lived in long-term care settings. One person was aged 50- to 59-years-old and he lived in Strafford County — the 15th death in New Hampshire in that age category. Two of the deaths were between 60 and 69, four were between 70 and 79, and 18 were 80 years of age or older. One man lived in Belknap County, eight women and three men lived in Hillsborough County, three women and one man lived in Merrimack County, two women and three men lived in Rockingham County, and one woman and one man lived in Strafford County.

Another 912 new positive test results for coronavirus were also found with more than one-third coming via antigen tests.

The others were found by polymerase chain reaction tests which had a positivity rate of 5.8 percent. The tests were found by specimens collected across five days: 65 were from cases on Dec. 30, bringing that one-day count to 1,039, the fourth highest. Another 43 cases were from samples on Dec. 31, one was from a test on Saturday, 361 on Monday, and 442 on Tuesday.

State health investigators are trying to determine the residency of 51 new cases while 134 of the new cases were children. The cases were split evenly between genders. The majority of the new infections reside in Rockingham County — 218, while 172 lived in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 68 live in Merrimack County, and 62 live in Nashua.

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Those people with completed investigations caught the virus either by being associated with an outbreak setting or had close contact with another person who was infected.

According to the State Joint Information Center, 301 people are hospitalized with the virus. Nearly 529,000 people in New Hampshire have been tested by PCR tests while about 35,000 were tested by antibody laboratory tests. Overall, 1.11 million tests have been administered in the Granite State. About 84 percent of all cases have recovered from the virus.

There are 50 active cases connected to K-12 school settings including two active cases at North Londonderry Elementary School, six active cases at Nashua Children's Home, two cases at the Ross A. Lurgio Middle School and two at the McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford, one active case at the Mary A. Fisk Elementary School, one at Bedford High School, one at Amherst Middle School, and one at Portsmouth Middle School.

There is only one active case at a college or university in New Hampshire and that is at UNH in Durham.

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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.

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 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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