Active COVID-19 Cases In New Hampshire The Most Since June: Data

Tony Schinella
Updated ·4 min read

CONCORD, NH — Another 92 New Hampshire residents tested positive for COVID-19 after more than 7,000 polymerase chain reaction specimens were collected on Saturday.

Prior test counts were upgraded and nearly 900 tests are pending bringing the daily positivity rate to 0.8 percent. Most of the positive tests were found via PCR testing with a little less than a third by antigen tests.

There are currently 1,032 active COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire — the most since mid-June.

Hospitalizations in New Hampshire are still low — 23 and only 7 percent of cases required more care since the pandemic started in early March.

Of the new cases, 12 were children, cases were split nearly evenly between women and men, and some cases are still under investigation by the state, including determining the residency of five new cases. Of the rest, 23 reside in Rockingham County, 20 live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, 10 live in Merrimack, and nine live in Nashua. The increase in cases today as well as extensive numbers during the past few weeks in Rockingham County, including outbreaks at Portsmouth restaurants, have pushed the county into the substantial community transmission category on the school data dashboard.

"Five of the new cases had no identified risk factors," the State Joint Information Center 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, are associated with an outbreak setting, or have recently traveled."

Accumulatively, 10,328 have been diagnosed with coronavirus while 8,823 have recovered from the virus — about 85 percent. The state said 331,561 residents have been tested or 22.2 percent via 579,186 PCR tests. Another 32,000 people have been tested with antibody tests.

Approximately 4,450 people are under public health monitoring in New Hampshire.

In K-12 schools in New Hampshire, there are 66 active cases after the state reported a number of new school cases since Friday.

Heron Pond Elementary School in Milford has two active cases; Manchester Central High School has its first case; Milford High School has two new active cases; North Hampton School has a second new active case; the Penacook Elementary School in Concord has a new case; the Riddle Brook Elementary School has its four active case; the South Range Elementary School in Derry has its second active case; and Saint Joseph Regional School in Keene and St. Mary Academy in Dover both have their first cases.

There are also five active cases at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord while there are 18 active cases at UNH in Durham. The university has 187 cases. Plymouth State College and Keene State College have four active cases each while Colby-Sawyer College, Dartmouth College, Franklin Pierce University, and White Mountains Community College have a single case each. Rivier University has five active cases while New England College in Henniker has three cases.

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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