Let’s Be Careful Out There

Please continue to be careful out there. We are seeing other states who opened early having to reimpose restrictions, and we do not want that here. NH is in a good place right now, but it can go either way. ~ Steve

N.H. health officials take center stage during coronavirus pandemic

Dr. Benjamin Chan, state epidemiologist for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, at the twice-weekly COVID-19 update with Governor Chris Sununu at the State Fire Academy on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

“In early March, state health officials sent out a press release with grave news: COVID-19 was here in New Hampshire and residents needed to take immediate precautions.

Stay home and avoid public places if you feel sick, the public was told. Wash your hands frequently and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

In the days and weeks that followed, two important figures emerged at press conferences alongside Gov. Chris Sununu – State Epidemiologist Benjamin Chan and Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette.

Both have strong ties to the Concord area. Chan is a Concord High School graduate, while Shibinette was the former head of the Merrimack County Nursing Home in nearby Boscawen.” Concord Monitor – Shibinette-Chan-Department-of-Health

Trump signs extension of PPP small business coronavirus relief fund

• President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a temporary extension of a subsidy program for small businesses battered by the coronavirus.
• The legislation extends the June 30 deadline for applying for the program to Aug. 8.

“The legislation extends the June 30 deadline for applying for the program to Aug. 8. Lawmakers created the program in March and have modified it twice since, adding money on one occasion and more recently permitting more flexible use of the funding despite some grumbling among GOP conservatives.

About $130 billion of $660 billion approved for the program remains eligible for businesses to seek direct federal subsidies for payroll and other costs such as rent, though demand for the Paycheck Protection Program has pretty much dried up in recent weeks.” CNBC – Trump Signs PPP Extension

Coronavirus on track to overwhelm Houston hospitals in two weeks, mayor says

• Hospitals in Houston, Texas are on track to be overwhelmed in approximately two weeks as coronavirus cases mount, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Sunday.
• “The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased. The number of people in our ICU beds has exponentially increased,” Turner said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”
• In Houston, the percentage of tests for the virus coming back positive has risen to nearly 25%. Turner said that people of color were being disproportionately impacted, particularly Hispanic residents.

CNBC – July 5 – Houston Mayor says hospitals will be overrun

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – July 5th, 2020

On Sunday, July 5, 2020, DHHS announced a two-day total of 43 new positive test results of COVID-19. The following update includes data from Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5. DHHS did not issue an update on July 4 due to the holiday. There have now been 5,897 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are seven individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 53% being female and 47% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (5), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Belknap (1), Cheshire (1), Grafton (1), Merrimack (1), Strafford (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Nashua (14) and Manchester (11). The county of residence is being determined for three new cases.

Hospitalizations

One new hospitalized case was identified for a total of 570 (10%) of 5,897 cases.

Community Based Transmission

Twelve of the new cases have no identified risk factors.

Deaths

DHHS has also announced five additional deaths related to COVID-19 since Friday.

• 2 female residents of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older

• 2 male residents of Rockingham County, 60 years of age and older

• 1 male resident of Belknap County, 60 years of age and older

Cumulative Positive Tests by County

• Belknap 82
• Carroll 60
• Cheshire 73
• Coos 7
• Grafton 88
• Hillsborough – Other 1,128
• Hillsborough – Manchester 1568
• Hillsborough – Nashua 645
• Merrimack 418
• Rockingham 1494
• Strafford 295
• Sullivan 35
• County TBD 4

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated July 5, 2020, 9:00 AM)

NH Persons with COVID-191 5,897

• Recovered 4,684 (79%)
• Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 381 (6%)
• Total Current COVID-19 Cases 832
• Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 570 (10%)
• Current Hospitalizations 25

Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories,

• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 125,235
• Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody
• Laboratory Tests 20,395
• Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 32,776
• Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL 388
• Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 3,475

Number of Specimens Tested by Date of Report to NH DHHS

Information above, and archived daily updates are available here: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/news/updates.htm

Regional Information (total positive test results, deaths)

Look-back period is 1 week.

NH: 5,897 positive test results 381 deaths  (1 week ago: 5,747 positive test results 367 deaths) (+150/+14)

MA: 109,974  positive test results 8183 deaths (1 week ago: 108,667  positive test results 8060 deaths) (+1307/+123)

ME: 3,415 positive test results 109 deaths (1 week ago: 3,191 positive test results 104 deaths)

VT: 1,249 positive test results 56 deaths (1 week ago: 1,202 positive test results 56 deaths)

CT:  46,717  positive test results 4,335 deaths (1 week ago: 46,303  positive test results 4,316 deaths)

RI: 16,991 positive test results 960 deaths (1 week ago: 16,661 positive test results 927 deaths)

NY:  401,822 positive test results 31,895 deaths (1 week ago: 397,293 positive test results 31,137  deaths) (+4,529/+758)