12 More Coronavirus Deaths; 46 Institutional Outbreaks In NH

CONCORD, NH — Coronavirus outbreaks continue to open and close in the state of New Hampshire as COVID-19 spreads through nursing homes, long-term care facilities, prisons and jails, and educational facilities.

The State Joint Information Center announced Thursday that there were 46 active institutional outbreaks in the state. The outbreaks account for more than 1,800 residents and nearly 900 staffers infected with coronavirus as well as 160 deaths related to COVID-19. Coronavirus outbreaks in the state that have been closed include Bedford Hills Center Genesis, Courville at Bedford-Carlyle Place, Green Mountain Treatment Center in Effingham, Hanover Hill in Manchester, Mount Prospect Academy Seacoast Treatment & Stabilization Center, and the Residence at Salem Woods.

Another 12 additional deaths related to COVID-19 were announced in the Granite State.

Four were women who lived in Belknap County while three men lived in Hillsborough County. A woman and man lived in Merrimack County while two women and a man resided in Strafford County. Nine of the people who died were connected to long-term care settings while nine were 80 years of age or older and three were between 70 and 79 years of age.

There have been 897 fatalities in the state or 2 percent of all infections.

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The state also announced 706 new positive test results including 188 discovered by antigen test and the rest by polymerase chain reaction tests. The PCR positivity rate for the day was 5.2 percent while the seven-day positivity rate of all tests was 7.4 percent. Of the new cases, 87 were children and the gender was split evenly.

The positive results were from four days of specimens: 74 were from Jan. 4 and 79 were from Jan. 5. Another 209 were from Tuesday while 344 were from Wednesday. Most of the new infections were in Rockingham County — 174, while 146 live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 70 reside in Merrimack County, and 48 live in Nashua.

The state is investigating where 41 of the new cases and 288 active cases live. The residency of 1,051 cases is unknown since the start of the pandemic.

About 270 people are hospitalized, nearly 55,000 accumulative cases have been found to be infected, about 555,000 Granite Staters, about 41 percent of the state's residents, have been tested via 1.22 million tests.

There are 44 K-12 school setting cases in New Hampshire including two active cases at Bedford High School, one active case at Portsmouth High School, one active case at Rundlett Middle School in Concord, and two active cases at Salem High School.

Colleges and universities in the state have three cases at UNH in Durham.

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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 a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to not go out to 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.COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Schools, Employers, Employees and Businesses (Can your employer force you to get the vaccine? It depends). COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Healthcare Providers and Public Health Partners

• Guidance to schools can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 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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