NH Coronavirus: 108 Positive Cases; Bus Rider Exposure Reported

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has issued the latest new coronavirus numbers Tuesday as well as a potential community exposure by a bus rider who traveled on a New Hampshire bus at least four times earlier this month. The infected person traveled on a Concord Coach Lines bus at 3:15 a.m. on March 11, from Concord, Londonderry, South Station, and Logan Airport. Three other trips were reported by the state: 5:40 p.m. on March 13, from Logan to Littleton, with stops in between; 5 a.m. on March 14, from Concord to Logan; and 1:40 p.m. on March 16 from Logan to Concord.

"Any individuals who rode on one of the Concord Coach Line buses above may have been potentially exposed to the novel coronavirus and should stay at home and monitor their health for fever or respiratory illness," said Jake Leon, a public information officer for the department. "Any person who was on those buses and has developed symptoms should stay away from other people, and immediately contact their healthcare provider."

The state also announced seven new positive cases — six men and one woman. The new cases bring the total to 108 in the state. Of those, 13 are hospitalized.

So far, 2,356 have tested negative for the coronavirus at selected laboratories while there are 804 tests pending. Around 750 are under public health monitoring. Another 2,530 residents have specimens submitted to the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories.

More than one third of the patients reside in Rockingham County while one-fifth reside in Grafton County, the location of the first positive test. The rest of the patients are scattered across the state. Only one county, Coos, does not have a patient.

Sununu On Restaurants, Revenues

Patch asked Gov. Chris Sununu about whether or not, when the spread and outbreak dampened, if restaurants could return to offering eat-in service as well as the state of state revenues. Here are his answers.

NH: 4th Most Aggressive Fighter Of COVID-19

WalletHub.com released a report Tuesday showing that New Hampshire ranked high in actions taken to contain the new coronavirus.

The company analyzed 46 key metrics in the 50 states and the District of Columbia to come up with its ranking. The data sets included per capita to school closures, intensive care unit beds, shelter-in-place policies, and other categories to come up with the rankings.

The rankings said New Hampshire was 11th in state and local public health laboratories per capacity; 8th in tested cases per capita; 5th in population density; 6th in share of workers with access to paid sick leave; and 10th in total public health emergency preparedness funding per capita.

New Hampshire was the highest rated state in New England. California was ranked 1st while Mississippi came in 51st.

Click here to read the full report.

Patch takes community journalism seriously and we want to be as much service to our readers as possible at this very uncertain time. If you are a public health worker, medical provider, elected official, patient, or other coronavirus expert — or you simply have a news tip you'd like to share — please fill out this form. We'll keep names and personal information private.

State Seeks Assistance From Business

State officials are requesting New Hampshire businesses and manufacturers to assist helping health centers with the creation of personal protection equipment.

Sununu announced Tuesday there were already 100 companies helping out. Taylor Caswell, the commissioner for the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, said the state was focused on N95 and medical face masks, surgical gowns, face shields, ventilators, latex gloves, and swabs.

"I’ve already heard from dozens of companies who are ready to adapt and adjust their operations to provide the protection, equipment and knowledge base to stop the spread of COVID19," Caswell said. "I am confident our companies can make a significant contribution to this effort."

Companies can visit NHeconomy.com/COVID19 to sign up to assist. Caswell said the BEA would work with companies to coordinate and facilitate distribution.

Democrats Change Elections, Party Events

The New Hampshire Democratic Party has made a number of changes to its schedule of events in order to keep supporters of the party safe during the outbreak.

New Democratic National Committee members will be elected via ballot instead of an in-person meeting which was scheduled for next month. The completion of the delegate selection will be conducted by conference call and utilize electronic voting. And, on May 9, the party will hold a "virtual convention" instead of a regular convention.

"The health and safety of Granite Staters are our number one priority," said Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "After many discussions and careful consideration by our executive committee and staff, we have adapted our upcoming events schedule and upcoming votes to ensure the safety of Granite Staters in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Volinsky: Inaction Could Lead To 20,000 More Deaths

District 2 Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, a Concord Democrat who is also running for governor, was also critical of the governor for not initiating a mandatory shelter in place order — suggesting Tuesday that the lack of action could lead COVID-19 to take "as many as 20,000 more lives."

Volinsky said he was "gravely concerned" with Sununu's approach to the crisis and based on data he had seen, "voluntary actions will not be enough to prevent overloading of hospital beds and save lives." He pointed to a study on the Covid Act Now website, a collection of data scientists, engineers, and others, which is attempting to influence public officials to make "fast decisions, not predict the future." The data suggested that by next month, limited action could lead to hospitalizations of between 12,000 and 28,000 people whereas a three-month shelter in place action through July could limit the outbreak to around 1,400 hospitalizations.

"I believe we need a mandatory shelter-in-place order that shuts down nonessential business and restricts travel to what is necessary," he said.

Volinsky also called on Sununu to suspend interest, penalties, and liens imposed on late property taxes.

"Interest rates and liens are a matter of state statute," he said. "Governor Sununu could suspend interest, penalties and liens imposed upon the late payment of property taxes by using his emergency powers. Many Granite Staters were already facing ever-increasing property taxes before the crisis hit. The governor should act swiftly before taxes are due on March 31 for those communities who collect quarterly taxes."

Don't miss updates about coronavirus precautions and information in New Hampshire as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Relief Fund Accepting Applications

Hospitals, medical centers, and health care providers interested in tapping into the $50 million fund to offset the cost of the coronavirus can now apply online to gain access to the funds, according to the state.

A team of officials from the attorney general's office, revenue, and health and human services will review the applications and make recommendations to the governor. The deadline is March 30.

The applications can be found here in a Word file.

What You Can Do To Stop The Spread

COVID-19, not unlike the flu and other respiratory illnesses, 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.
• Anybody who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspect COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic medical conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers need to move to telework as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that this virus can survive for hours or possibly even a few days on surfaces, so 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 when sick (i.e., social distancing).
• 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.

ALSO READ:

• Governor Calls Out For Volunteer Help Due To New Coronavirus
• Nashua High South Set Up With Medical Equipment
• Salem Liquor Company Begins Manufacturing Lemon Hand Sanitizer
• 2,417 In New Hampshire Tested In 3 Weeks For Coronavirus: Data
• Concord Navy Reservist Nurse Called Up Due To Coronavirus: Watch
• Coronavirus Forces Cancellation Of Annual Law Enforcement Event
• NH Coronavirus Update: First Death Announced; 101 Infected
• Coronavirus Forces Cancellation Of Annual Law Enforcement Event
• GE Aviation Laying Off 10% Of Workers In Coronavirus Slowdown
• Heeter U, Where Distance Learning Means A Field Trip To The Basement
• Distant Dome: Uncertainty Abounds As Coronavirus Infects State Revenues

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