NH Coronavirus: 3rd Death Announced; Nearly 5,000 Test Negative

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced the death of a third person due to the new coronavirus as well as the largest single day number of new positive tests since health officials began tracking the disease nearly four weeks ago. On Sunday, 44 new patients — 25 women and 10 men — were found to be positive for the virus. In the state, 258 people have tested positive.

A third person has also died due to the virus, according to Jake Leon, a public information officer for the department.

"The deceased was a female resident of Rockingham County who was over 60 years old with underlying health issues," he said. "We offer our sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased."

More than a third of the new cases live in Rockingham County. Seven new cases were reported in both Manchester and Nashua. Merrimack County has four new cases, according to a news release.

Of the new cases, 21 have no identified risk factors meaning that community-based transmission continues to increase. Leon said most of the remaining cases have either traveled around the country or the world or been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient.

Five of the 44 cases were hospitalized; of the 258 patients, 39 have been hospitalized or about 15 percent. About 1,050 people are under public health monitoring.

According to the state, 4,994 have tested negative at the NH Public Health Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prior to the state's lab testing capacity. The state lab has analyzed 3,103 specimens and has 144 tests pending. It is unknown how many tests are pending in private labs.

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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• Guidance to schools can be found can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 are available 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.

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