48-Hour COVID-19 Report In New Hampshire: 4 Deaths; 840 New Cases

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

The fatalities included a man from Cheshire County, a woman and man from Hillsborough County, and a woman from Rockingham County. Two lived in long-term care settings while two were 80 years of age or older, one was between 70 and 79, and another was in the 60- to 69-year-old age category.

Deaths in the state were at 1,152 on Friday or 2 percent of all infections.

Another 840 people have also become infected with the virus including 120 children with the cases nearly evenly matched between genders. More than half the cases were found via polymerase chain reaction tests. The state reported 461 new cases on Thursday and 379 on Friday. Most of the new infections — 175, live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua while 170 reside in Rockingham County, 67 live in Merrimack County, and 41 live in Nashua.

As of Friday, Durham had the most active cases in New Hampshire: 379. Nashua, the state's second largest city, had 205 while Salem had 102. Londonderry had 67 infections while Merrimack reported 65 cases and the city of Concord had 61. The city of Portsmouth had 47 cases while Windham had 34, Bedford 27, Exeter 24, Milford 22, Hampton 19, Amherst 18, and North Hampton 12.

Hospitalizations have dropped to 116 in New Hampshire while 68,559 or 94 percent of infections have recovered from the virus. There are currently around 3,056 active cases. More than 46 percent of the state's population has been tested via more than 1.573 million tests.

Nearly 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been allocated at hospitals and pharmacies around the state with slightly more than 160,000 receiving a first dose and around 75,000 receiving the second dose.

The state reported Thursday that active outbreaks in New Hampshire institutional settings had dropped to 11: The Applewood Rehabilitation Center; Birch Hill; Carrol County Department of Corrections; Dover Center for Health and Rehabilitation; Langdon Place of Nashua; the Merrimack County Nursing Home; Mt. Carmel Rehabilitation and Nursing; the New Hampshire State Prison for Men; St. Vincent Rehabilitation and Nursing Center; Sullivan County Department of Corrections; and the Sullivan County Nursing Home.

Coronavirus cases from the K-12 school setting were at 120 on Friday while colleges and universities had 343.

Cases in schools within Patch communities include seven at Portsmouth High School, three at Exeter High School, two at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Concord, the Woodbury School in Salem, and Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook, and one at Phillips Exeter Academy, Windham Center School, Thorntons Ferry School in Merrimack, Souhegan High School in Amherst, Concord High School, the Lincoln Street Elementary School in Exeter, and the Adeline C. Marston School in Hampton.

UNH in Durham reported 239 active cases while 68 were reported at Plymouth State University. Another 17 were at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge while Saint Anselm College reported 10 cases. Keene State College has six while New England College reported two and Rivier University in Nashua had a single case.

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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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