Another 4 New Hampshire Residents Die Related To COVID-19: Data

CONCORD, NH — New positive test results for coronavirus, while still very high compared to the initial outbreak period more than 10 months ago, have been trending down in recent weeks, after reaching peaks after Thanksgiving and before the Christmas holiday week.

On Tuesday, state health officials reported 435 new positive test results for COVID-19 from specimens taken during a two-day period: Sunday, which had 39 cases, and Monday, which had 396 cases. Most of the tests came from antigen samples — 247, while another 188 were from polymerase chain reaction tests. The positivity rate for the PCR tests Tuesday was 4.2 percent — one of the lowest one-day rates since late November 2020. The seven-day test positivity rate is 5.8 percent. During the past two days, nearly 12,000 PCR tests were collected.

Of the new cases, 79 were children and they were split evenly between genders. Most of the new cases live in Rockingham County — 87, while 84 reside in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 35 live in Merrimack County, and 22 live in Nashua.

The latest daily trends for cases published on Jan. 26 shows cases trending down after peaking during the holidays. Source: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The state also announced four more deaths related to the virus — a woman from Hillsborough County, a woman and man from Rockingham County, and a woman from Sullivan County. One lived in a long-term care setting while three were 80 years of age or older and one was between 70- and 79-years-old.

There have been 994 fatalities related to the virus in New Hampshire since March 2020.

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Recoveries have risen back up to 90 percent or 56,748 cases while 213 remain hospitalized. Nearly 1.34 million tests have been administered to 43.3 percent of Granite Staters.

New Hampshire has 63 active cases connected to a K-12 school setting. Current cases in Patch communities include one at Salem High School, the Mary A. Fisk Elementary School, the William T. Barron Elementary School, and North Salem Elementary School in Salem; two at the Woodbury School in Salem; one at St. Patrick Academy in Portsmouth; one at Bedford High School; one at Windham High School; and one at Windham Academy Public Charter School,

There are four active cases at colleges and universities: three at UNH in Durham and one at Dartmouth College in Hanover.

The state said there were more than 30 outbreaks in institutional settings. Outbreaks have ended during the past week at Clipper Harbor/Cedar Healthcare Center, Golden View Health Care Meredith, Greystone Farms, Harris Hill Center, Hanover Terrace Health and Rehabilitation Center, Harris Hill Center, Keystone Hall, Cynthia Day Program, the Merrimack County Jail, Nashua Crossings Benchmark, Pines of Newmarket, Rivermead Peterborough, and the Secure Psychiatric Unit, NH Department of Corrections.

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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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