NH Coronavirus Update: Death Count Rises To 21; 234 Recover

CONCORD, NH — Three more people — all older than 60 with underlying health conditions — have died due to the new coronavirus in the state of New Hampshire. The three men lived in Cheshire, Hillsborough, and Merrimack counties. The number of Granite Staters who have died due to COVID-19 is now at 21.

Of all the deaths in the state were in the high-risk group of either older than 60 or having underlying health conditions, according to Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state's epidemiologist.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services via the State Joint Information Center also announced 31 new positives tests in the state Thursday. Of those with complete information, 58 percent were women and 42 percent men.

Most of the new cases — 17 — live in Hillsborough County while seven were reported in Rockingham County and three in Merrimack County. Nine needed hospitalization, according to the state, raising the number of people needing hospital care to 127 or 16 percent.

Eleven of the new cases had no identified risk factors leading the state to conclude that community-based transmission was continuing to increase. Most of the remaining cases have either travel history or were in close contact with an infection individual.

The number of positive cases in New Hampshire is now at 819 with 234, about 29 percent, recovered.

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Nearly three-quarters of all the state's COVID-19 cases are based in Hillsborough and Rockingham counties.

According to the state, 9,139 people have tested negative at the NH Public Health Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity. The state lab has 155 tests pending but officials don't know how many tests are pending with commercial labs.

Approximately 2,325 are under public health monitoring in New Hampshire.

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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