COVID-19 Takes 4 More Lives In New Hampshire: Update

CONCORD, NH — Four more elderly Granite Staters have died from or related to COVID-19, according to the State Joint Information Center.

There were connected to long-term care settings while three were 80 years of age or older and one was between 70 and 79. Two men lived in Belknap County and a man and woman both lived in Hillsborough County. There have been 570 fatalities in New Hampshire.

State health officials also announced 1,006 new positive test results across a five-day period with a daily polymerase chain reaction test positivity rate of 5.4 percent after 8,213 specimens were collected Tuesday.

The state said 446 were from tests collected Tuesday, 190 were from Monday, 86 were from Sunday, 197 were from Saturday, and 87 were from Friday.

Of the new cases, 102 were children and more than half were female. The residency of 41 new cases are still being investigated by the state but 332 live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 248 live in Rockingham County, 98 live in Nashua, and 94 reside in Merrimack County. About 1,200 tests are pending.

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"Test results for previous days are still being processed and the total number of new positives for those days are not yet complete," the state said. "Updated case counts for prior days will be reflected on the COVID-19 interactive dashboard."

Contact tracing data of patients with completed risk information showed that most of the cases caught the virus due to close contact with confirmed cases or an outbreak setting. Hospitalizations have risen to 232 in the state and are about 3 percent of all of the 27,592 accumulative cases.

The daily trends for hospitalizations published Dec. 9. Source: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The state said 449,993 people have been tested with PCR tests while 33,686 residents have been tested by antibody lab test. More than 913,000 PCR tests have been administered in New Hampshire.

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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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