Another 14 Deaths; 614 New Cases: Coronavirus In New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — The State Joint Information Center announced another 14 additional deaths related to COVID-19 on Friday.

The fatalities included women from Cheshire, Strafford, and Sullivan counties, men from Strafford and Sullivan counties, three women and four men from Hillsborough County, and two women from Rockingham County. Nine of the deaths were connected to long-term care settings while 11 were 80 years of age or older, two were between 70 and 79, and one was between 60 and 69.

Another 614 new positive test results were compiled from specimens collected on Wednesday (198 new cases) and Thursday (416). The state did not report how many cases were found via polymerase chain reaction or antigen tests but the positive rate for PCR tests for the day was 3.4 percent. The seven-day test rate was 5.4 percent.

Slightly more male than female infections were reported on Friday with 87 of the tests being children.

Most of the new infections live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua — 185, while 126 reside in Rockingham County, 54 live in Nashua, and 52 live in Merrimack County.

The state said 214 people were hospitalized while 90 percent of all infections, 58,414, have recovered from the virus. About 5,400 in the state are sick while nearly 65,000 have contracted the virus since March.

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According to the last dashboard data, Manchester has 514 active cases — the most in the state of New Hampshire. Nashua has 488 cases while Salem has 165, Concord has 128, and Merrimack has 103. Londonderry has 98, Bedford has 88, Portsmouth has 81, Milford has 69, Windham has 66, Exeter has 58, and Hampton has 55 cases. Amherst has 22 active cases while North Hampton has 9, according to state data.

At K-12 school settings, there are 58 active cases. Active cases in Patch communities include single cases at the Main Street School in Exeter, the James Mastricola Elementary School in Merrimack, Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook, Bedford High School and the Memorial School in Bedford, Concord Christian Academy, Salem High School, the Mary A. Fisk Elementary School, and the Woodbury School in Salem, the Matthew Thornton Elementary School in Londonderry, St. Patrick Academy in Portsmouth, and the Windham Academy Public Charter School. The McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford has two active cases.

At colleges and universities in New Hampshire, there are 13 active cases: seven at UNH in Durham, two at both Dartmouth College in Hanover and Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, and one each at St. Anselm College in Goffstown and Plymouth State University.

The state also reported that 134,275 vaccines have been allocated to date. All the patients who signed up for the Phase 1a vaccines, nearly 113,000 people, have received their shots. About 20,000 in Phase 1b have received shots.

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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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