Coronavirus Testing Hits Highest One-Day Total In NH: 1,912

CONCORD, NH — As state health officials have been trying to increase testing during the past month, hovering between 900 and 1,600 per day recently, Wednesday set an all-time one-day total of 1,912 specimens announced.

During a news conference, officials said they were trying to consistently get to 1,500 tests per day but lack of supplies, materials, and staff, as well dips in sampling on the weekends, were keeping the numbers steady and stable. They hope to get to 2,000 per day next week.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services also announced eight new deaths — seven who lived in long-term care facilities — and 63 new positive cases. The accumulative number of infections in the state is now at 3,299 while fatalities are 150.

There are currently 1,913 active cases of COVID-19 while 1,236, about 37 percent, have recovered from the new coronavirus.

Of the new fatalities, five were women and three men, and they all lived in Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Rockingham counties.

Seven new children have also contracted the virus while 56 percent of completed investigations were women and 44 percent men, according to the State Joint Information Center. About two-thirds of the new cases live in Hillsborough County while 11 reside in Rockingham County and six live in Merrimack County.

Three of the new cases have no identified risk factors while seven required hospitalization. About 10 percent of all known cases have required hospital care while 126 remain hospitalized.

The health department said about 3,375 people were under public health monitoring while 735 tests were pending at the state's labs. So far, 13,984 have been tested at the state's labs while 35,876 of tests, about 91.5 percent, were negative.

The state also released new, corrected long-term care facility data.

Nursing and long-term care homes have been the hardest hit by the virus with 580 residents and 298 staffers becoming infected. The state said 102 of 150 deaths in the state were in the 16 facilities and organizations with outbreaks.

Nineteen cases are still under investigation.

Activists Make Right-To-Know Data Request

A group of political and health activists made a right-to-know request of the governor and health officials requesting information that led to the state's reopening plan.

The group, who call themselves the New Hampshire Science and Public Health Task Force, requested 16 different documents mostly centered around testing, emails, and other data centered around long-term care facilities, diagnostic results, and death records. The group said the requests were being made because Gov. Chris Sununu said he was making decisions to reopen the state due to the downward case trend when cases were rising. The recommendations, they said, were also not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations of securing a two-week downward trend in case numbers.

"Governor Sununu is starting an early reopening using data that is not available to the public to justify the course of action," said Michael Dowe, MD. "Governor Sununu needs to put public health first, and that includes being transparent with the data he is using to make public health decisions."

'Free To Worship' Rally Held Saturday

ReopenNH is organizing a worship service at noon Saturday at the Statehouse in Concord, in an effort to raise awareness about the limiting of religious rights in the state.

With an extension of the state of emergency expected Friday, Andrew Manuse, the organizer of the service, said it was time for all denominations of faiths, as well as nonbelievers, to stand together.

"Some people are going along with the governor's orders because they believe the Bible teaches obedience to government officials," he said, "but it is essential to point out that there are no examples of Jews or Christians in the Bible accepting the command of governors to disobey God's commandments to worship Him, pray and assemble together."

This will be the third rally held at the Statehouse.

Shaheen Talks With Mayors, Town Managers

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, held a conference call with city mayors and town managers in the state about the impact of COVID-19 on communities. She commended civic leaders for "working tirelessly" to alleviate the impact on residents.

To listen to the call, click below.

Feltes Renews Call For Expanded Frontline Worker Fund

One of the governor's challengers in 2020, state Sen. Dan Feltes, a Concord Democrat, is calling for the creation of a $50 million "Frontline Worker Fund."

The fund, he said, would ensure retention of essential workers as well as recruitment of new workers who will be needed later to continue the fight against COVID-19.

"Our frontline workers across all sectors deserve our support," Feltes said. "I urge Governor Sununu to expand this executive order to include everyone on the frontlines rather than hand-selecting which frontline workers receive increased benefits. The LNA's, support staff, and the new temporary health partners at our long-term care facilities are all helping save lives daily as they deal with one of the worst-in-the-nation long-term care crises. This is New Hampshire, they are among our best, and they deserve more than just our thanks."

GOFERR Meets Thursday

Joseph Doiron, deputy director of the Governor’s Office For Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), will hold a meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Board at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Call-in: 800-356-8278; PIN: 194655

All members of the GOFERR Stakeholder Advisory Board have been invited to participate in tomorrow's call.

Pursuant to RSA 91-A:2, this meeting is open to the public.

Learn More About 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.
• Anybody who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspect COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic medical conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers need to move to telework as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that this virus can survive for hours or possibly even a few days on surfaces, so 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 when sick (i.e., social distancing).
• 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.

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