NH Coronavirus Update: 214 Now Infected; 4,524 Test Negative

Tony Schinella
Updated ·4 min read

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch

CONCORD, NH — The state announced Saturday that 27 new patients have tested positive for the new coronavirus. Of the new positives, 17 were women, nine were men, and one was a boy. The boy is the third child in New Hampshire to contract the virus.

Eleven of the new cases are in Rockingham County while Hillsborough County (not including Manchester and Nashua) reported four new cases. Three new cases were reported in Merrimack County, Manchester, and Nashua.

In a statement, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said eight of the new cases had "no identified risk factors" — an indication that "community-based transmission continues to increase in New Hampshire." All of the counties in the state that have an infected patient also have a patient that contracted the virus via community-based transmission.

Coos County continues to be the only county in the state without a positive test.

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The other 19 patients either traveled overseas or domestically or had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, the state noted.

Only three of the 27 cases were hospitalized for their illness with 33 of the state's 214 cases needing hospitalization. Others have been recovering at home.

So far, 4,524 people have tested negative for the virus at the NH Public Health Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those tests sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prior to tests by the state lab. The state said 285 have tests pending at the state lab — with another 2,934 specimens submitted to the lab. The number of pending commercial lab tests are unknown. Around 925 people are under public health monitoring.

Rockingham County now has 86 cases while Grafton County has 28. State officials refused to comment on how many of the 28 cases in Grafton caught the virus from the first patient to test positive in New Hampshire who reportedly refused to self-isolate himself. Hillsborough County has 53 cases — when including cases in Manchester and Nashua, which are the only communities where the state is identifying positive tests.

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According to news reports, press releases and other information and alerts, other specific locations where patients tested positive include Concord, Conway, Hopkinton, New Ipswich, and Rochester, as well as a corrections officer in the Merrimack County Jail, and Shaw's employees in Dover, Littleton, and Woodsville.

What You Can Do To Stop The Spread

COVID-19, not unlike the flu and other respiratory illnesses, 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.

  • Anybody who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspect COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.

  • If you are 60 years or older or have chronic medical conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.

  • Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.

  • Employers need to move to telework as much as possible.

  • There is increasing evidence that this virus can survive for hours or possibly even a few days on surfaces, so 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 when sick (i.e., social distancing).

  • 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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