New Hampshire Has Another 445 Coronavirus Cases: Update

CONCORD, NH — Another 445 new positive coronavirus cases were reported Monday as the state continues to see the illness spread around the state — with exponential growth in the central and southern area of New Hampshire.

After collecting nearly 4,700 polymerase chain reaction test specimens Sunday and with 1,175 pending tests, the positivity rate for Monday was 3.7 percent. The average daily PCR testing amount in New Hampshire is close to 10,000. Only one-fourth of the tests were found via antigen testing.

The state is investigating 23 of the new COVID-19 cases but reported that 49 of the cases with completed information were children and 56 percent female. Rockingham County reported the most new cases, 105, while Manchester had 82, Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua had 70, Merrimack County has 49, and 22 live in Nashua.

"Community-based transmission continues to occur in the State and has been identified in all counties," the state said. "Investigations are pending and risk factors for new cases are unknown at this time."

Health monitors do not have information on 229 of New Hampshire's coronavirus cases.

More than 18,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 831 have been hospitalized. Around 121 are currently hospitalized. Around 406,000 Granite Staters, nearly 28 percent of the state, have been tested via PCR rests while another 33,000 have been tested by antibody lab tests. The state has administered 765,000 PCR tests and the median time for test results is about two days, according to the State Joint Information Center.

Approximately 6,600 Granite Staters are under public health monitoring.

According to the latest community data, Manchester has the most current cases, 687, while Nashua has 394, Salem has 127, and Concord has 101 cases. Merrimack is reporting 85 cases, Londonderry has 79, Bedford at 70, Hampton at 68, and Portsmouth at 60. Windham has 42, Milford has 36, Exeter has 26, Amherst has 21 and North Hampton has 13.

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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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