48-Hour Report: 551 New Coronavirus Infections In New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — During the past two days, more than 550 more Granite Staters have contracted coronavirus while three people also died, according to the State Joint Information Center.

The new fatalities were announced on Thursday and included two men from Merrimack County and a man from Sullivan County. All three were between 70 and 70 years of age, according to state data. They bring deaths related to or from COVID-19 to 1,178 in New Hampshire or 1.54 percent of all infections.

During the past 48-hours, 551 more people contracted coronavirus in the state including 72 children. More than 400 of the new infections were found via polymerase chain reaction tests. The state said 231 were reported on Thursday and 320 on Friday after 20,004 PCR tests were administered during the same 48-hours. Most of the new cases reside in Rockingham County — 133, while 126 live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester, 45 live in Merrimack County, and 14 reside in Nashua.

There are about 2,200 active cases in the state while recoveries have reached 73,004 or more than 95.5 percent of all cases. The state reported 90 hospitalizations. More than 1.68 million tests have been administered while nearly 47 percent of all Granite Staters have been tested in some form.

The State Joint Information Center also offered a vaccine allocation update and noted that everyone in Phase 1a of the vaccine plan had received all of their first doses — about 113,000 Granite Staters. Another 48 percent of Phase 1b vaccinations had been completed, about 155,000 of 325,000. More than 105,000 people have received both doses. State health officials also released a new data dashboard for vaccine tracking.

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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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