Coronavirus In New Hampshire: 493 More Positive Cases; 52 Kids

CONCORD, NH — Nearly 500 more Granite Staters have tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to New Hampshire health officials.

The 493 new positive test results included 52 children and were mostly centered around the central and southern part of the state. The diagnoses were found after nearly 8,800 people were tested via polymerase test on Friday. Another 1,890 test results are pending. Around one-fourth of the positive patients were discovered via antigen test. New Hampshire's PCR test positivity rate was 2.2 percent Saturday.

Nearly 4,200 are currently infected with coronavirus.

"Several cases are still under investigation," the state said, including 15 but 57 percent of the completed investigations were women.

One hundred and five of the new patients reside in Rockingham County while 82 live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, 43 live in Nashua, and 37 live in Merrimack County.

Most of the new cases caught the virus either from a person who is confirmed to have it or due to an institutional outbreak, the state said.

About 116 people are hospitalized and of the 17,281 confirmed cases only 5 percent have received more extensive care due to the sickness. Another 12,599 have recovered from the virus.

More than 400,500 people in New Hampshire have been tested for COVID-19 while 6,575 are under public health monitoring.

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Governor: Contact Tracing Continuing

At Thursday's news conference, Gov. Chris Sununu was asked about recent media reports that the state was curbing contact tracing and why so many cases were unable to be investigated.

The governor rejected the claim and elaborated on the state's strategy. He said some people do not answer their telephones and a number of other organizations are also performing contact tracing. Sununu was also asked about why and how this new increase in community transmission was occurring.

Watch the video below.

Another Elderly Man Dies

Another death related to coronavirus was announced by the state Saturday.

A man, 60 years of age or older, from Hillsborough County, died, according to the state.

"We offer our sympathies to the family and friends," the state said.

No other information was available due to the state's data dashboards being offline.

Possible Community Exposure In Plaistow

Health officials also said Saturday there was potential exposure related to coronavirus at Grumpy's Bar & Grill in Plaistow.

They are warning anyone who was in the bar area of the establishment or near the pool tables on Nov. 10 or Nov. 14 that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.

"The public health investigation into these potential exposures is ongoing, and thus far DHHS has identified three cases of COVID-19 associated with this establishment," the State Joint Information Center said. "The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is currently investigating multiple violations of New Hampshire Food Service guidance by the establishment. DHHS has conducted contact investigations on cases associated with this potential community exposure and is notifying known close contacts directly. However, DHHS is making this public notification because there may be additional individuals at the location during those days who were exposed to the coronavirus and should monitor for symptoms and get tested."

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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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