Holy Week Services At Warner College Lead To Coronavirus Exposure

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services is warning of potential community exposure to the coronavirus after holy week events at a Merrimack County college led to an outbreak.

Sixteen positive infections have been connected to services at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts on Kearsarge Mountain Road in Warner between March 21 and April 4 — including Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday events, state officials said. The campus is closed to the public but non-students attended events and have been exposed to people who became infected at events.

"Any individuals who participated in or attended events at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts during those dates may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should seek testing," the state said in an alert on Tuesday. "DHHS has conducted contact investigations and is notifying known close contacts directly. However, DHHS is making this public notification because there may be additional unidentified individuals at the location during those days who may have been exposed to the coronavirus."

Coronavirus symptoms include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell. Anyone who develops new symptoms should stay home, limit their contact with others, immediately contact their healthcare provider, and get tested for COVID-19, officials said.

After the announcement, a Seacoast Democrat issued a statement saying the associated exposure showed the state should be vaccinating college students even if they are not New Hampshire residents.

"This unfortunate outbreak is a reminder that the governor's refusal to vaccinate every student over the age of 16 is dangerous public health policy and does not help our state get through this pandemic," said state Sen. Tom Sherman, who is also a medical doctor. "As cases continue to surge in New Hampshire alongside a rise in highly contagious COVID variants, we must do everything we can to protect every Granite Stater. I stand ready to work with the governor to correct this policy and make sure we do what is best for the health for all of our communities and families by vaccinating every student in New Hampshire."

402 New Cases, State Says

Another 402 Granite Staters contracted coronavirus including 85 children after around 6,300 tests were administered.

Nearly two-thirds of the new infections were found via polymerase chain reaction tests. The cases were split evenly between genders. Most of the new cases — 125, reside in Rockingham County while 99 live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 46 live in Merrimack County, and 24 live in Nashua. The state is trying to determine where 11 cases live.

"Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have either had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or have recently traveled," the state said.

New Hampshire has around 3,300 active cases while hospitalizations have risen slightly to 94. About 94.7 of all cases have recovered in the state. Nearly 250,000 Granite Staters have been fully vaccinated about 18.4 percent while 488,332 have received at least one dose.

K-12 school setting cases are at 184 cases including three active cases at the Golden Brook Elementary School in Windham, one case at the Birch Hill Elementary School in Nashua, and two cases at the North Hampton School.

There are 86 active cases at colleges and universities which is down about 50 cases from yesterday even with the newly infected at Magdalen College in Warner, which has one active case on the state's data dashboard. Slightly more than one-third of the cases are at UNH in Durham.

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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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