NH State Representative Steven Smith

I know people are getting frustrated with the shut down. I know each of you probably does not know anyone who is sick, so it all seems like an awful lot of economic damage for nothing. This is the problem with a strategy that is successful when nothing really happens. These same strategies were used to different degrees in the 1918 pandemic, so we can see what worked. A naysayer said that a lot has changed in the last 100 years, so it doesn’t matter. They are wrong. Viruses still spread the same way. The things that have changed have actually made it worse. More goods are shipped internationally and more people travel internationally than 100 years ago. More to the point, they travel much faster. If a virus can live outside the human body for 72 hours, you can get anywhere in the world in that time span. This article from National Geographic is worth reading – How some cities ‘flattened the curve’ during the 1918 flu pandemic

~ Steve

• NH impacts from Covid-19, by the numbers & business sectors
• 500,000 more face masks arrive in NH
  

Worth Reading:

• State House Dome: COVID-19 lawsuit is bound to become contact sport
• Sununu moves to dismiss legislators’ suit
• Survey: Most N.H. Residents Prioritize Social Distancing Over Restarting Economy
• Hundreds protest governor’s stay-home order
• Reasons many for fewer NH infections than Mass.
• N.H. court system attempts to chip away at backlog caused by COVID-19
  

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – April 19, 2020 

On Sunday, April 19, 2020, DHHS announced 50 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 1,392 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Any additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, all are adults with 52% being female and 48% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (13), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Merrimack (2), Strafford (2), Cheshire (1), and Belknap (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (17) and Nashua (8). The county of residence is being determined for two new cases.

Hospitalizations

 

Six new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 198 (14%) of 1,392 cases.

Community Based Transmission

Seven of the new cases have no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to increase in the State and has been

identified in all counties with cases. Most of the remaining cases have either had travel to domestic or

international locations or have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

Deaths

 

DHHS has also announced three additional deaths related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.

• One female resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age or older

• One male resident of Rockingham County, 60 years of age or older

• One female resident of Rockingham County, 60 years of age or older

Cases by County

Belknap 26

Carroll 30

Cheshire 29

Coos 2

Grafton 45

Hillsborough – Other 192

Hillsborough – Manchester 258

Hillsborough – Nashua 131

Merrimack 94

Rockingham 479

Strafford 94

Sullivan 10

County TBD 2

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

(data updated April 19, 2020, 9:00 AM)

NH Persons with COVID-191 1,392

Recovered 521 (37%)

Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 41 (3%)

Total Current COVID-19 Cases 830

Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 198 (14%)

Current Hospitalizations2 79

Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories3 12,726

Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 6,472

Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL4 298

Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 2,300

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

 

Regional Information (total positive test results, deaths)

 

NH: 1,392 positive test results 41 deaths

MA: 38,077 positive test results 1706 deaths

ME: 867 positive test results 34 deaths

VT: 812 positive test results 37 deaths

CT: 17,962 positive test results 1127 deaths

RI: 4,706  positive test results 150 deaths

NY: 242,817 positive test results 13,869 deaths

I’ve been getting questions regarding unemployment payments. I will get clarifications for you this week. In the meanwhile, please do not use Facebook messages to ask me questions. I get tons of spam and may miss your message. You can call me at 603-826-5940, or even better email me at nhfirst@gmail.com. That lets me group messages by category, and then I can get the same information to all those who are affected by it.

~ Steve

Project Community: NH Together from Home

“WMUR is partnering with iHeartRadio for a fundraiser to help support the NH Food Bank’s response to the COVID-19 efforts.

Join WMUR from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. THIS Friday, April 17 for “Project Community: New Hampshire Together From Home.” WMUR’s Erin Fehlau and Sean Mcdonald will join iHeartRadio’s Greg Kretschmar to host the special. The uplifting hour will feature performances from Granite State artists and words of encouragement from New Hampshire athletes and celebrities, all while raising money for the food bank.”

Link: Project Community: NH Together from Home

NHPR: As N.H. Schools Close for the Year, Edelblut Outlines Remote Learning Efforts and Impacts

“Gov. Chris Sununu has ordered remote learning at New Hampshire schools to be extended through the end of the academic year. That means all public schools, and private schools, will remain closed, as students continue their studies from home.”

Link: As N.H. Schools Close for the Year, Edelblut Outlines Remote Learning Efforts and Impacts

Governor Sununu speaks with Chuck Todd about Reopening Economy

“New Hampshire is in a unique position among our fellow Northeastern states. Here’s my response on how we’re looking at a regional approach to reopening the economy:”

Link: Governor Sununu speaks with Chuck Todd about Reopening Economy

Laconia Daily Sun: Gov. Sununu to Tourists: ‘Stay Home’

“As tourism season approaches, Gov. Chris Sununu has a message for prospective visitors, including those from Northeast COVID-19 hotspots — “Stay home.”

“You’re healthier at home,” he said in a Thursday afternoon news conference. “You should stay there. Be home with your family. At some point we want people to come, but not now. Stay home, stay healthy. This is no time to be vacationing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, as beautiful as they are.””

Link: Gov. Sununu to Tourists: ‘Stay Home’

NHBR: Dartmouth Labs put COVID-19 Research on Fast Track

“As the novel coronavirus takes its deadly toll, there’s potentially life-saving activity going on night and day at Dartmouth College in Hanover.

“Whether developing or deploying new testing strategies, laying the groundwork for antibody-based therapeutics, or contributing personal protection equipment, the Dartmouth research community is already making the fight against this novel coronavirus our own,” says Dean Madden, vice provost for research.”

Link: Dartmouth Labs put COVID-19 Research on Fast Track

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – April 17, 2020

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update on the new coronavirus, COVID-19.

On Friday, April 17, 2020, DHHS announced 78 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 1,287 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation.

Of those with complete information, there are 10 females and 5 males under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 48% being female and 52% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (18), Strafford (8), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (6), Merrimack (3), Carroll (2), Belknap (1), Cheshire (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (31) and Nashua (6). The county of residence is being determined for one new case as well as one previously announced case. Any additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates.

Three new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 190 (15%) of 1,287 cases. Nine of the new cases have no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to increase in the State and has been identified in all counties with cases. Most of the remaining cases have either had travel to domestic or international locations or have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

DHHS has also announced three additional deaths related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.

• Two male residents of Rockingham County, 60 years of age or older
• One male resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age or older

Two of the deaths involved long-term care facilities. Those facilities are Hanover Hills in Manchester and the Residence at Salem Woods in Salem.