5 More Deaths; 347 New Infections: Coronavirus In New Hampshire

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

The fatalities included men from Coos and Hillsborough counties, a woman from Merrimack County, and a woman and man from Rockingham County. Two were connected to long-term care settings while four were 80 years of age or older and one was between 70 and 79.

Fatalities in New Hampshire stand at 1,207 or 1.51 percent of all infections.

The state also announced 347 new positive test results including 71 children. Slightly more than half of the infections were male. About 45 percent of the new patients were found via antigen tests, according to the state.

The state is trying to determine where 25 of the new cases live — with 89 new cases residing in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 87 living in Rockingham County, 25 in Merrimack County, and 24 in Nashua.

The State Joint Information Center said those with completed risk information became infected due to exposure to another COVID-19 positive person.

Seventy-five people are hospitalized while there are more than 2,300 active cases. About 95.5 percent of all cases have recovered from the virus. More than 48 percent of Granite Staters have been tested at least once while 1.794 million tests have been administered.

Dartmouth Offers Vaccine Q&A

Will the coronavirus vaccines get us back to normal and when will that occur? When can we stop wearing masks? How about travel?

Those are just some of the questions to be answered during a Dartmouth-Hitchcock webinar on March 29 featuring a panel discussion with doctors as part of the company's Healthy Living Series.

The panel will include Michael Calderwood, MD, MPH, chief quality officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC); Jonathan Thyng, MD, medical director at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) Nashua; and Erik Shessler, MD, associate medical director of general pediatrics at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD).

"Everyone, whether they are vaccinated or not, should follow the current guidance to avoid medium or large-sized in-person gatherings and to follow any local guidance restricting the size of gatherings," Calderwood said. "With vaccine production ramping up, the hope is that enough people age 16 years and older may be vaccinated by July to achieve herd immunity, but this is dependent on not pulling back current mitigation strategies too soon."

To register for this webinar, visit this link. The talk will be held at 6 p.m. on March 29.

Students With Disabilities Get $10.5M In Aid

The state of New Hampshire will receive an additional $10.5 million in funds to be used to support students with disabilities, according to the state education department.

The money, which will come from the American Rescue Plan Act, brings the total aid amount to schools in New Hampshire to more than $650 million. Last year, the department made nearly $4 million in directed grants to private providers of special education through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.

"These and additional funds under ARPA will allow schools to continue to support students with disabilities and fill in gaps where students may not have made the progress IEP teams had wanted to see," Rebecca Fredette, the state director of special education in the Bureau of Student Support, said.

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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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