COVID-19 In New Hampshire: 2 More Deaths; 90 New Positive Tests

Tony Schinella
Updated ·5 min read

CONCORD, NH — Another two elderly residents, a woman and man, from Hillsborough County, have died due to or from complications of COVID-19, according to state health officials.

One was 80 years of age or older while the other was 70 to 79 and one was connected to a long-term care facility.

Ninety more new positive test results were announced Friday or about 1.1 percent positivity rate after 7,280 polymerase chain reaction specimens were collected Thursday. About 1,300 tests are pending. Earlier testing numbers were also upgraded to higher amounts this week, according to the data. More than two-thirds of the tests were PCR while the rest were antigen.

"There are now 894 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire," State Joint Information Center said. "In New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 9,514 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed with 761 (8 percent) of those having been hospitalized."

Several of the new cases are still under investigation but 16 were children, 25 live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, 19 live in Rockingham County, 15 live in Merrimack County, and six reside in Nashua. None of the new cases required hospitalization but 16 are currently receiving more extensive care.

"Seven of the new cases had no identified risk factors," the state said. "Community-based transmission continues to occur in the state and has been identified in all counties. 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 are associated with an outbreak setting."

Approximately 4,050 people are under public health monitoring while 305,815 Granite Staters have been tested via PCR tests with 523,340 tests issued in New Hampshire.

2 Cases In Concord Schools

Two more schools in Concord are reporting new COVID-19 cases.

A student at the Christa McAuliffe Elementary School contracted the virus, according to Kathleen Murphy, the interim school superintendent. The school was informed about the test result on Friday. The student has not been in school since Tuesday.

"All safety protocols were in place including wearing of masks and six-foot distancing," she said. "The students and staff will be notified by the Division of Public Health as soon as the contact tracing process has been completed. I remind everyone that the district is held to strict confidentiality rules regarding specific student and personnel information."

Another case, a seventh-grader, was reported at St. John Regional School. A memo to parents prepared them to be ready for calls from the state's health department. The school moving to remote learning for grades 6 to 8 beginning Monday. Remote learning will run through Oct. 30.

Neither case was included on Friday's updated school data dashboard.

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15 New School Cases Reported

More than a dozen new cases connected to K-12 schools in the state were also reported during the past 24 hours.

The Adeline C. Marston Elementary School in Hampton has two new active cases; Bedford High School has two new active cases; Bow High School has a second active cases; the Ellis Elementary School has its third active case; the Epping Elementary School has its fourth active case; the Inter-Lakes Elementary School in Meredith has its first case; the Londonderry Senior High School has two more active cases for a total of five; the North Salem Elementary School has its first case as does the Nottingham West Elementary School; Pinkerton Academy in Derry has its second active case; the Beech Hill School in Hopkinton has its first case; and the World Academy in Nashua also has its first case.

There are 94 positive cases connected to K-12 schools or school activities.

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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 confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into 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.

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This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch