New Hampshire Reports 772 New Coronavirus Cases: Update

CONCORD, NH — Two more elderly New Hampshire residents have died due to or related to COVID-19, according to health officials.

The fatalities were a woman from Cheshire County who was 60 years of age or older and a man from Rockingham County who was also 60 years of age or older. They bring fatalities in the state to 528 people or about 2 percent of all infections in New Hampshire.

The State Joint Information Center also announced 772 new positive test results — another all-time high single day count in the state, which were tracked via a mix of polymerase chain reaction tests and antigen tests. State officials said 622 positive results came from tests on Monday while 150 were from Sunday that were not confirmed on that day. The positivity rate is 6.2 percent after more than 6,000 tests were performed Monday and tests from Sunday were upgraded to 7,700. Results for around 500 tests are pending.

"Test results received Monday are still being processed and the total number of new positives for that day is not yet complete," the state said.

The positivity rate is the highest since mid-May. Updated case numbers will be published in future reports.

The residency of 41 new positive test results were not available but those patients with completed investigations mostly live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua — 230, while 189 reside in Rockingham County, 110 live in Merrimack County, and 44 live in Nashua. Ninety of the new cases were children while the genders were evenly split. The state said most of the new patients had been close contact with a confirmed diagnosis.

The state said 21,766 Granite Staters, about 1.5 percent of all residents, had contracted the virus with about 75 percent, 16,216, recovering. Via PCR test, more than 424,000 have been tested while more than 33,000 had received antibody lab tests. The state has collected more than 825,000 PCR specimens since March.

About 160 people remain hospitalized and more than 8,000 are under public health monitoring.

Manchester, which had more than 1,000 cases earlier this week, is reporting 956 active cases, the most in the state. Nashua has 339 cases while Concord has 154 — the most ever in the capital city. The state said Salem has 130 active cases, Bedford has 125, Londonderry has 121, and Merrimack has 109. Windham has 70, Milford has 36 cases, and Amherst has 20. On the Seacoast, Hampton has 78 cases, Portsmouth has 73, Exeter has 41, and North Hampton has 15.

In K-12 schools in New Hampshire, 67 active cases are being reported.

Those schools reporting recent cases include the Winchester School with two active cases; St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover with its fourth case; Souhegan High School in Amherst has its first case; the Shaker Road School in Concord; the Ross A. Lurgio Middle School in Bedford; Prospect Mountain High School in Alton has its first case; Pinkerton Academy in Derry has its ninth case; Pelham Elementary School has its second case; Pembroke Hill School and Pembroke Academy have new cases; Nottingham West Elementary School in Hudson has its fourth case; Merrimack High School has two new cases and 10 recoveries; McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford has four active cases and seven recoveries; Little Harbour School in Portsmouth has two active cases; the Laconia Middle and High School have new cases; Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith has its sixth case; Hollis-Brookline High School has its second case; Epping Elementary School has its seventh case; Dr. L.F. Soule School in Salem has its second case; and the Cawley Middle School in Hooksett has two active cases and six recoveries.

Colleges and universities in the state are reporting about a dozen active cases.

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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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