Merrimack County Woman Dies: New Hampshire Coronavirus Update

Tony Schinella
·4 min read

CONCORD, NH — Another elderly resident of New Hampshire has died due to complications of or due to COVID-19, according to state health officials.

The woman was 60 years of age or older and lived in Merrimack County but no other information was available at post time. The state updated yesterday's information to report that the Hillsborough County man who died Sunday was 80 years of age or older and connected to a long-term care facility.

The state reported 35 new positive test results of the new coronavirus with the polymerase chain reaction tests showing a positivity rate of 0.4 percent. Thirty of the new cases were tested via PCR tests while five were antigen tests.

Of the new cases, one was a child while 21 were male. Seven live in Rockingham County, six live in Nashua, four live in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, and two live in Merrimack County.

None of the new positive cases required hospitalization and only one had no identified risk factors.

Nearly 8,700 people have caught COVID-19 since March while 282,659 people have been tested and 465,878 PCR tests administered. On Sunday, 6,361 specimens were collected while results are pending for 1,207 tests.

About 2,750 people are under public health monitoring.

According to the latest data dashboard information, Nashua now has more cases than any other community in the state — 73. Bedford has 46 positive cases while Merrimack has 17 and Windham has 12. Salem has nine cases, Concord has eight, and Londonderry has seven. Exeter has five cases. Amherst, Hampton, Milford, and Portsmouth all have between one and four cases while North Hampton has no active cases.

A handful of K-12 schools reported new cases during the past couple of days: The Epping Elementary School has its first case while the Griffin Memorial School in Litchfield has a new infection and another active case. Merrimack High School has another active case — bringing its active count to four.

There are 28 active cases in K-12 schools in New Hampshire.

ALSO READ:

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.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch