NH Coronavirus Update: 23rd Death Announced; 929 Infected

CONCORD, NH — The state of New Hampshire announced Saturday that a 23rd person has died due to the new coronavirus. The latest person to die was a woman from Rockingham County. She was over the age of 60 years, according to the State Joint Information Center.

"We offer our sympathies to the family and friends," the center said.

Forty-five new positive cases were also reported bringing the total to 929. Several of the cases are still under investigation but those with completed information were 71 percent men and 29 percent women. Twelve of the cases needed hospitalization, the center stated, bringing the number to 146 needing hospital care, about 16 percent.

More than half of the new cases live in Hillsborough County, eight are in Rockingham County, and five in Merrimack County. One person's residency has yet to be determined.

Ten of the new cases have no identified risk factors while most of the remaining cases either traveled domestically or internationally or had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Community-based transmission continues to increase in the state and has been identified in all counties with cases, the center said.

The state said 236 cases, about 25 percent, had recovered from the novel coronavirus.

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The state also announced that 9,996 people have tested negative for the virus at the NH Public Health Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to CDC prior to state lab testing capacity. Of those, 4,952 were tested at the state lab. One hundred-nineteen tests are pending with an unknown number of tests outstanding at private labs.

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Around 2,275 people are being publicly monitored by the state.

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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