New Hampshire Announces 21 More COVID-19 Deaths: Update

CONCORD, NH — Health officials in New Hampshire announced the state's highest one-day fatality count since the pandemic started in March: 21 deaths.

Of those that have died, 14 were men and seven were women. Twelve were residents of Hillsborough County, three lived in Grafton County, two lived in Belknap County, and one each lived in Cheshire, Coos, Merrimack, and Rockingham counties. The state's data dashboard reported 13 lived in long-term care settings, 13 were 80 years of age or older, two were between 70 and 79, five were between 60 and 69, and one was between 50 and 59.

Less than 2 percent of all fatalities in the state have been in the 50 to 59 years of age category, according to health data.

In New Hampshire, 625 people have died due to or from complications of COVID-19.

"We offer our sympathies to the family and friends," the State Joint Information Center said.

Another 928 new positive test results including 103 children were also reported by state health officials for a daily polymerase chain reaction test positivity rate of 6.4 percent. A little more than two-thirds of the new cases were discovered via PCR tests while the rest were via antigen test.

The new cases came from specimens collected from the past five days: 422 were from Tuesday, 175 came from tests taken on Monday, one was a test from Sunday, 118 were from Saturday, and 212 were from Friday, the state said.

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

About 6,500 PCR specimens were collected Tuesday.

Many patients are still under investigation with the state attempting to determine the exact residency of 28 cases. About 53 percent of the new patients were female. Those with completed investigations include 247 people who live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 202 patients that reside in Rockingham County, 157 cases who live in Merrimack County while 95 were from Nashua.

Health officials said most of the cases contracted the virus from an outbreak setting or close contact with a confirmed coronavirus diagnosis.

About 6,700 people have active coronavirus test results in New Hampshire. Hospitalizations have risen to 286 in the state but still only 3 percent of all cases have required more extensive care. More than 26,000 people or about 78 percent of all positive test results have recovered from the virus. More than 970,000 tests have been administered to about 473,000 people.

ALSO READ:

• 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
• COVID-19 Vaccine Arrives In New Hampshire; 919 More Infected

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.