In New Hampshire, 4 More COVID-19 Deaths; 872 New Positive Cases

CONCORD, NH — The state of New Hampshire has 34 current institutional coronavirus outbreak settings which have led to 62 deaths, according to the state.

The state announced eight new outbreak settings at The Arbors of Bedford, The Birch Clipper Harbor Cedar Health Care Center in Manchester, Community Bridges in Concord, Country Village Center in Lancaster, Harris Hill Center in Concord, Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen, Mount Prospect Academy in Plymouth, Seacoast Treatment Center and Stabilization Center in Hampton and the Strafford County Jail in Dover.

Another four facilities — Oceanside Center-Genesis in Hampton, Prospect Woodward Home at Hillside Village in Keene, Ridgewood Genesis in Bedford, and Studley Home Assisted Living Facility in Rochester cleared their outbreaks.

Long-term care setting outbreaks have accounted for about 11 percent of infections, 26 percent of hospitalizations, and 80 percent of all deaths related to COVID-19 in New Hampshire.

The state also announced four more deaths related to COVID-19 in New Hampshire — one was 80 years of age or older and three were between 70 and 79 years old. Two were men who lived in Hillsborough County, one was a woman who lived in Rockingham County, and another was a man who resided in Strafford County.

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services also reported 872 new positive test results including 90 children from specimens collected across six days: 46 cases were from specimens collected Friday, 67 were from Saturday's cases, 156 new cases were from Sunday's samples, 34 were from Monday, 155 were from Tuesday, and 414 were collected Wednesday, the state said. Of the new cases, 55 percent were female.

Did you like this story? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch!

Those patients with completed investigations included 219 who live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 209 who reside in Rockingham County, 128 in Merrimack County, and 58 in Nashua.

The latest active case count information published on Dec. 17. Source: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The city of Concord has 426 active cases but around 216 of those patients are connected to institutional outbreaks.

There are 6,928 active patients in the state while 26,707 people have recovered. More than 476,000 people have been tested by polymerase chain reaction tests while 34,129 have been tested by antibody lab tests — with 978,438 tests administered overall.

The state said only 69 active cases were connected to K-12 school settings in New Hampshire while another 1,047 students and staffers have recovered from the virus.

New and active cases in Patch communities include four at Concord High School, three at Mill Brook Primary School in Concord, four at Bedford High School, one at Abbot-Downing Elementary School in Concord, Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook has three active cases, and one at Windham Middle School.

ALSO READ:

• New Hampshire Announces 21 More COVID-19 Deaths: Update
• NH Health Department Won't Say How Many Reps Test Positive For Coronavirus
• Another 670 New Positive Coronavirus Results In New Hampshire
• As Coronavirus Spreads, NH Hospital Capacity Shrinks, Too: Study
• Coronavirus Forces All Concord Schools To Remote Learning: Update

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.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.