Sununu Staffer Tests Positive For Coronavirus: NH Update

CONCORD, NH — Another 289 New Hampshire residents including 45 children have tested positive for coronavirus, according to state health officials.

The new cases were found after about 1,900 tests were administered on Sunday, the State Joint Information Center said. Most of the new cases — 82, live in Rockingham County while 46 live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 28 live in Merrimack County, and 17 reside in Nashua. Fourteen patients are being investigated for residency.

"Community-based transmission continues to occur in the state and has been identified in all counties," officials said. "Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis."

Eighty-three people are in the hospital while more than 1.942 million tests have been administered in New Hampshire. There are 86,125 accumulative cases while more than 81,500 have recovered — more than 94.7 percent of all cases.

School and college infection data were not updated at post time.

Sununu Staffer Tests Positive For COVID-19

Also on Monday, a member of the Gov. Chris Sununu's staff tested positive for coronavirus.

The staffer, who works in the governor's office, was last at the Statehouse on Thursday. The staffer woke up with "a sore throat and very minor symptoms and began quarantining" during the weekend.

"Out of an abundance of caution, a rapid test was conducted this morning and the result came back positive," a press statement said.

A staffer who is also in close contact with this person is in quarantine, too. State health officials are performing contact tracing.

"The governor was not determined to be a close contact of the individual," the press office stated. "While guidance does not require the governor to quarantine, he will continue to monitor for any symptoms, as well as all other staff in the governor's office."

The Department of Administrative Services directed sanitation of all commonly touched surfaces and "any necessary extra cleaning" within the Statehouse.

The governor's office "follows all public health guidelines for workplaces, including wearing masks when socially distancing is not possible," officials said.

New Hampshire's COVID-19 Data Dashboard Tweaked

The state's COVID-19 Data Dashboard was tweaked slightly on Monday and made uniform with other government sites as the state continues its multi-year plan to update its websites.

The main dashboard now features a short overview of the state of the pandemic as well as vaccination, test, and interactive dashboard tabs. Inside the dashboard tabs, each segment of data now has its own tab at the top. Subset data can be found inside those tabs.

Other information — such as associated outbreaks and racial and ethnicity data concerning vaccinations will be released by the state weekly.

Third Racetrack Mass Vaccination Booked

The New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is hosting a third mass vaccination event this weekend, according to Sununu.

The event, which is by appointment only, will run on both Saturday and Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. State health officials hope to vaccinate 12,000 Granite Staters with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only.

"Following a historic week of registration and scheduling for vaccine appointments which expanded eligibility to all NH residents 16+ last week, New Hampshire continues to move forward in getting doses into arms at a record pace," Sununu said. "This weekend is another opportunity for thousands of Granite Staters to be vaccinated as quickly as possible."

Because only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered, 16- and 17-year-olds are not eligible to be vaccinated this weekend.

At this time, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be the only vaccine offered to those who opt to participate in the Speedway mass vaccination site this weekend.

Anyone interesting in being vaccinated can register here.

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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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