NH Coronavirus: 2 More People Die; 2 More Children Test Positive

CONCORD, NH — Two more people in New Hampshire have died due to the new coronavirus, according to state health officials. The woman from Hillsborough County and the man from Rockingham were both 60 years of age or older. Lori Shibinette, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, couldn't say if the seven deaths reported during the last 48 hours had underlying health conditions. State officials, including Gov. Chris Sununu, offered sympathies to friends and family Thursday.

Seventy-one new positive test results were also announced bringing the number to 1,211 COVID-19 patients in the state. Several of the cases were still under investigation but of those with completed information, two were children, a girl and a boy, 55 percent were women, and 42 were men. The residency of one case has yet to be determined.

Thirty-three people who tested positive live in Rockingham County while 30 live in Hillsborough County. Four people live in Merrimack County. Of the new cases, nine were hospitalized bringing the count to 187 or around 15 percent. Nine of the new cases also have no identified risk factors, according to the State Joint Information Center. Most of the remaining people contracted the virus due to being in contact with another person with the virus or traveling.

Approximately 2,225 people are under public health monitoring.

About 38 percent of people with the COVID-19, 455 cases, have recovered, with 74 currently receiving hospital care. The state said 11,421 of tests were negative at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity. Of those, 5,582 specimens were submitted to the state labs, which also have 66 tests pending. It is unknown how many tests are pending at commercial labs.

State Seeks RFPs To Expand Child Volunteer Services

The health department is also seeking to build upon what the Division for Children, Youth and Families had already done to expand services for at-risk children and families — with a new program of community-based voluntary services.

"We have seen the stress that the COVID-19 emergency has placed on families, and we anticipate an increased demand for services once we are past the crisis point," said DCYF Director Joseph Ribsam. "It will be as important as ever to make sure our families have the tools they need to be successful, and we look forward to working with our community partners to strengthen our services so that all New Hampshire families can thrive."

RFPs are due by June 4. A vendor conference will be held by Zoom on May 7. Learn more by registering here.

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1,000 Dems Call On Guv To Follow The Constitution

On the eve of a superior court hearing as to whether or not Gov. Chris Sununu can use his emergency orders to have federal relief expenditures spent without legislative oversight, the New Hampshire Democratic Party announced that more than 1,000 residents have signed its petition to for him to end his Governor’s Office For Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR).

"For Granite Staters, the coronavirus relief aid could make the difference between staying healthy and putting food on the table or not," said Ray Buckley, chairman of the party. "But for Sununu, this crisis is merely a political opportunity to illegally grab power from the legislature and create a slush fund to spend behind closed doors. This is unconstitutional, and it’s made worse by the fact that Sununu has a record of using his position to help himself and his family. Just last year, he designated his family's ski resort, Waterville Valley an Opportunity Zone to provide it with a triple tax break, and we can't trust him to spend this funding on the communities that need it most."

The petition can be found here.

GOFERR Meets Friday

The Governor’s Office For Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) will hold its second meeting of the Bipartisan Legislative Advisory Board at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 16: The call-in number is 800-356-8278; the login is 125563.

Nearly 3,000 Say #ReOpenNH

Around 2,800 people have signed a petition calling on Sununu to reopen the state by removing restrictions, restoring liberty, and regaining lost jobs by April 24.

The petition and signers can be viewed here.

A "Live Free: End the Lockdown" rally is scheduled at the Statehouse in Concord for noon on Saturday, April 18.

It is unknown who created the website since the WHOIS.com was scrubbed 24 hours ago. However, former state Rep. J.R. Hoell, a Republican from Dunbarton, is reportedly one of the early organizers of the effort.

Some of the signatures include a number of liberty Republicans and others who might otherwise be supporting Sununu — including Glen Aldrich, Alan Bershtein, Kevin Craig, Dan Davis, Bob Greene, Werner Horn, Tony Lekas, Andrew Prout, Paul Somero, Kevin Verville, and Mark Warden, all elected officials (presuming they really signed the petition — considering there are fake names on the petition).

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.

U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc also called the decision to shut down the economy "unconstitutional" and added that it was hurting people unnecessarily, on the Right Side of the Mic radio show earlier this month.

Banks In New Hampshire Will Still Be Able To Help

The Small Business Administration informed banks that once the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program was exhausted, banks would no longer be able to load applications into the federal system to adjust loan amounts.

However, even when this happens, banks in the state will still be able to help by modifying loans, deferring payments, waiving certain fees, extending credit, and other ways.

"Banks in New Hampshire have been assisting their customers aggressively since families and small businesses were first impacted by the coronavirus," said Kristy Merrill, president of the New Hampshire Bankers Association. "Banks have been eager partners in implementing PPP and providing hundreds of millions of dollars in forgivable loans to support the payrolls, rent and utilities of small businesses here. Banks were a key source of financial assistance for small businesses prior to the program’s existence and banks will continue to be there to support Granite Staters although federal PPP funds have run out."

Credit Union Launches Fundraiser For Hospital Workers, Restaurants

A Massachusetts credit union, with a location in Seabrook, has started a "Feed the Frontline" effort to purchase meals from local restaurants that can purchased for hospital employees at Lawrence General.

The credit union will match up to $10,000 of any donations through April 30. Donations can be made on GoFundMe.com.

Stop The Spread Of COVID-19!

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.

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• NH Coronavirus: Remote Learning Extends To The End Of School Year
• NH Coronavirus: 24,000 More File For Unemployment Benefits
• Hundreds Furloughed From Nashua And Manchester Hospitals

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