NH Coronavirus Update: 7 More Deaths Related To COVID-19

CONCORD, NH — Another seven New Hampshire residents have died due to or related to COVID-19, according to state health officials.

They include a woman and two men from Hillsborough County, a man from Merrimack County, and man and woman from Rockingham County, and a woman from Strafford County. They were all 60 years of age or older.

At post time, the state's case summary report had not been uploaded so more information about the cases was not available. In New Hampshire, 708 people have died during the pandemic.

On Sunday, the State Joint Information Center reported another 891 new positive test results from samples gathered during the previous seven days. Thirty-six specimens from Dec. 20 were determined to be positive a week later. So were 78 collected Monday. Another 24 new patients were from specimens on Tuesday while 200 were from Wednesday — for a total of 1,020 positive test results from samples on that day, the third-highest one-day total. Another 464 new cases from Sunday were gathered Thursday, 83 on Christmas Day, and six on Saturday, state health officials said.

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Of the new cases, 118 were children while 54 percent were female.

The state has determined that 261 new patients live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 192 live in Rockingham County, 99 live in Merrimack County, and 90 reside in Nashua. Investigators have yet to determine the residency of 33 cases.

The polymerase chain reaction test positivity rate for the day was 9.1 percent while the overall seven-day test positivity rate of all tests was 7.7 percent.

The state said 270 people are hospitalized. Of the nearly 41,000 cases of coronavirus, about 2 percent or 895 have been hospitalized.

According to the latest data, more than half a million Granite Staters have been tested via PCR tests — 503,140, to be exact, while another 1.055 million-plus tests have been administered in the state.

In K-12 school settings, there are 68 active cases with only one new school from a Patch community, the Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, being added to the list with one new active case.

The latest coronavirus daily trend chart published Dec. 27. Source: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

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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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