New Hampshire Tops 400 New COVID-19 Cases For First Time, 3 Die

CONCORD, NH — A day after New Hampshire topped 300 daily positive coronavirus cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the state shattered the record 24 hours later.

Another 462 people across the state, including 48 children, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the State Joint Information Center reported on Friday. State health officials also announced three new deaths on Friday as one female from Hillsborough County, 60 years of age or older, one male from Coos County and one male from Grafton County – both of whom were 60 years or older – also passed away from the virus, health officials said.

The record number of cases were announced a day after Gov. Chris Sununu predicted that the number of daily positive cases could reach 1,000 in a matter of weeks. He said that the state will not introduce formal guidelines for social gatherings - such as family get togethers for Thanksgiving – but said that residents need to adhere to warnings that are in place.

"The risk getting to zero is not possible. We cannot manage zero risk," Sununu said Thursday. " The government can't put mandates in place to get it to zero. It's a virus… we can't manage the risk down to zero."

Of the new cases, more than half were male and several more cases are still being investigated. The state has 2,753 cases currently.

The new cases reside in Rockingham (87), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (54), Merrimack (34), Strafford (29), Grafton (19), Belknap (15), Cheshire (15), Carroll (10), Coos (6), and Sullivan (6) counties, and in the cities of Nashua (92) and Manchester (62). The county of residence is being determined for thirty-three new cases.

There were seven new hospitalizations and 69 people are currently hospitalized. All of the completed case investigations show the patients were infected due to being associated with an outbreak setting or in contact with a confirmed coronavirus case.

Since the start of the pandemic 13,929 people have contracted the virus while nearly 10,688 or about 77 percent have recovered. About 378,305 Granite Staters have been tested via PCR test while 32,562 have been tested by antibody test. More than 663,000 PCR tests have been administered in New Hampshire. Approximately 5,775 people are under public health monitoring by the state.

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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.