COVID-19 Takes The Lives Of 2 More Elderly Men In NH: Update

Tony Schinella
Updated ·5 min read

CONCORD, NH — Two more elderly men have died from or due to complications of COVID-19 in New Hampshire, state officials announced Thursday.

The men were 80 years of age or older and lived in long-term care settings in Hillsborough County.

"We offer our sympathies to the family and friends," the State Joint Information Center said.

About 5.3 percent of people who have caught COVID-19 in New Hampshire have died. Nearly 82 percent of the state's fatalities have been in long-term care settings with 87.3 percent of the fatalities being residents who were 70 years of age or older.

Only one person under the age of 40, a young man from Concord with underlying health conditions, has died due to complications from the coronavirus.

Another 52 new positive test results were also reported Thursday after 8,349 polymerase chain reaction test specimens were collected Wednesday. The state has 1,589 tests pending.

Of the new positive test results, two were children and 27 were female. Residency for two of the patients is still being investigated but 13 live in Rockingham County, 11 live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, six live in Nashua, and four live in Merrimack County.

The state has 8,317 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 1 with 7,534 recoveries or about 91 percent.

None of the new patients required hospitalization but 15 had no identified risk factors meaning they have not traveled recently, have not had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, or were not connected to a long-term care setting. Fifteen people are still hospitalized in New Hampshire.

The state reported nearly 276,000 people have been tested via PCR tests with nearly 451,000 tests administered.

About 2,750 Granite Staters are under public health monitoring.

The state's Overview Dashboard also has a new feature — a testing chart with data with PCR and antibody testing results, age categories, and, seven-, 14-, and 30-day data grids.

The new dashboard can be found here.

It shows that more than 18 percent of New Hampshire residents have been tested for COVID-19.

School Infections Recover In NH

Only one K-12 school in New Hampshire reported a new positive test result while many more students have recovered during the past 48 hours.

The Heron Pond Elementary School in Milford reported its first school setting case Tuesday with the state reporting it on its data dashboard Wednesday.

Jessica Huizenga, the Milford School District superintendent, said there was "no evidence" the infection occurred at school, and the patient had no known contact with students and limited contact with adults. Since Wednesday was a remote day, staffers and students were not in the building.

"During this time, a deep clean of the building will occur," she said.

The single Allenstown Middle School infection has recovered as has the single case at the Golden Brook Elementary School in Windham. One of the three cases at the Henry Wilson Memorial School in Farmington has recovered, too, while the school is officially considered to have a cluster, according to the state's data dashboard. The single Kearsarge Middle School case in Sutton has also recovered as has the single case at the Memorial Elementary School in Bedford. The single case at Salem High School has also recovered, according to the state, as has the case at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow.

There are currently 19 active cases in K-12 schools in the state.

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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