NH Coronavirus Update: 108 New Cases; Negative Tests Break 26,000

CONCORD, NH — Another 108 residents of New Hampshire have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the number of accumulative positive patients in the state to 2,740 cases, according to health officials.

According to the State Joint Information Center, several of the new cases are still under investigation but 55 percent were identified as women, 45 percent as men, and four were children.

Six of the new cases are still being investigated but two-thirds live in Hillsborough County including 34 in Manchester and 10 in Nashua. Rockingham County reported 18 new cases while seven reside in Merrimack.

Of those cases, 12 were hospitalized bringing the number to 307, about 11 percent, who have needed care in the state. Only 113 are currently receiving care.

The state said 11 of the new cases had no identified risk factors with most of the others either being exposed by someone who was infected or having caught the virus while traveling.

The state also announced 19 additional deaths related to COVID-19. All of those individuals were 60 or older and resided in long-term care facilities in New Hampshire.

A breakdown of the institutional outbreaks and deaths in the state at long-term care facilities as of May 6. Credit: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

The health department clarified that New Hampshire has about 7,500 nursing home beds and approximately 6,400 long-term care facility residents.

The state also announced Wednesday that 1,110 people, about 41 percent of cases, have recovered from the virus while 26,066 have tested negative for the virus at both state and commercial labs. About 1,100 tests a day are being held in New Hampshire. Approximately 345 tests are pending while 2,900 people are under public health monitoring.

The latest negative vs. positive labs plus the three-day average of positive, percentages, released on May 6. Credit: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Learn More About 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.
• 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.

• 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.

ALSO READ:

• NH Coronavirus: 19 New Deaths — All In Long-Term Care Facilities
• New Coronavirus Takes Big Bite Out Of State Revenues
• Most Coronavirus Deaths In NH Occurred In Nursing Homes: Data
• NH Coronavirus Update: 6 More Deaths; 50 More Infections
• Concord Coronavirus: Nazzy Hosts Virtual Prom For High Schoolers

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