NH State Representative Steven Smith

Hear it yourself – Sept. 1 Update

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

There are several groups that meet to advise the Governor about COVID restrictions and plans, and you can participate in to those meetings.

Stakeholder Advisory Board

Governor Chris Sununu established the Stakeholder Advisory Board to provide the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) with key insight on the needs across New Hampshire communities and private industries, and to provide recommendations on relief efforts throughout the process of allocation and disbursement of the CARES Act funding in the State of New Hampshire.

Regular public meetings are held Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 2 p.m.

Call-in: 800-356-8278
Pin: 194655#

Economic Re-Opening Task Force

May Governor Chris Sununu formed of the Governor’s Economic Re-Opening Task Force, which will develop a plan and oversee the state and private-sector actions needed to reopen New Hampshire’s economy while minimizing the adverse impact on public health. Pursuant to RSA 91-A:2, this meeting is open to the public.

Scheduled Meetings

When:	September 3, 2020 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Public Comments 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Task Force Meeting September 10, 2020 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Public Comments 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Task Force Meeting September 17, 2020 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Public Comments 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Task Force Meeting September 24, 2020 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Public Comments 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Task Force Meeting
Call-In Information:	Call-in: 1-800-356-8278 or 1-857-444-0744 Pin: 194499 For Public Comments session to request to speak, press 5*
	If anybody has a problem getting on the call, please call 603-271-0670 or email at hilary.ryan@livefree.nh.gov
Task Force Public Comments Email:	nhreopen@nheconomy.com
Business Help or Questions	Click here for Business Help

CDBG-CB Public Services Program Info Sessions

Join CDFA for an open, online Q&A session where staff will be available to answer your questions about the CDBG-CV Public Services program and application.

September 1 Q&A Session – REGISTER HERE

September 16 Q&A Session – REGISTER HERE

Attendees can submit questions via the registration form, send to comments@nhcdfa.org leading up to the event or ask live during the session. Content will vary based on questions received for each session. Everyone is encouraged to review the available CDBG-CV information and resources for municipalities and nonprofits on CDFA’s Resource Hub.

Background on CDBG-CV

Through the CARES Act, the State of New Hampshire was allocated approximately $5.4 million to be deployed under the Community Development Block Grant program to respond to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). These funds, known as CDBG-CV, are to be used specifically for the prevention of, preparation for, and response to COVID-19.

Municipalities can access approximately $3.7 million in CDBG-CV funds to support eligible Public Services. New Hampshire counties, cities and towns can sub-grant these funds to eligible nonprofits serving their communities.

The CDBG-CV Public Service application is now available via CDFA’s Grants Management System (www.nhcdfagrants.org). The deadline to submit applications is Friday, September 25, 2020 at 4:00 PM.

Schools face staffing shortages as start of year nears

https://www.wmur.com/article/schools-face-staffing-shortages-as-start-of-year-nears/33854270

2 Bedford students, 1 Derry school employee test positive for COVID-19

https://www.wmur.com/article/2-bedford-students-1-derry-school-employee-test-positive-for-covid-19/33854502

Hands-on learning continues in the age of social distancing

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/hands-on-learning-continues-in-the-age-of-social-distancing/article_befbaed9-15d6-5c3e-b99b-2f22486ad25c.html?block_id=897573

Manchester school board approves metrics for reopening

https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/manchester-school-board-approves-metrics-for-reopening/article_502e61bc-1b25-5bd6-a6ea-47c726ae8a87.html?block_id=897573

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – August 31st, 2020

On Monday, August 31, 2020, DHHS announced 22 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 7,275 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 five individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 50% being female and 50% being male. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Rockingham (4), Merrimack (2), Carroll (1), Grafton (1), Strafford (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (7) and Nashua (1).

Hospitalizations

No new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 714 (10%) of 7,275 cases.

Community Based Transmission

Seven of the new cases had no identified risk factors.

Deaths

DHHS has no additional deaths to report.

Cumulative Positive Tests by County

Belknap 125
Carroll 105
Cheshire 129
Coos 18
Grafton 114
Hillsborough – Other 1,315
Hillsborough – Manchester 1909
Hillsborough – Nashua 816
Merrimack 502
Rockingham 1809
Strafford 383
Sullivan 48

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

(data updated August 31st, 2020, 9:00 AM)

NH Persons with COVID-191 7,275

Recovered 6,615 (91%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 432 (6%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 228
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 714 (10%)
Current Hospitalizations 6

Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories,

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 210,916
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody
Laboratory Tests 29,752
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 42,445
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL 1783
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 1,750

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: 7,275 positive test results 432 deaths (1 week ago: 7,134 positive test results 429 deaths) (+141/+3)

MA: 128,229 positive test results 9049 deaths (1 week ago: 126,022 positive test results 8949 deaths) (+2207/+100)

ME: 4,526 positive test results 132 deaths (1 week ago: 4,356 positive test results 131 deaths)

VT: 1,624 positive test results 58 deaths (1 week ago: 1,566 positive test results 58 deaths)

CT: 52,495 positive test results 4,465 deaths (1 week ago: 52,011 positive test results 4,460 deaths)

RI: 21,302 positive test results 1048 deaths (1 week ago: 21,302 positive test results 1035 deaths)

NY: 439,480 positive test results 32,541 deaths (1 week ago: 434,866 positive test results 32,489 deaths) (+4,614/+52)

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A wedding in Maine, and what “recovered” means Aug 31

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

This article give a good summary of some criteria for this being “over”, as well as what “recovered” really means. In layman’s terms, we need to get to a place where normal activity does not cause spikes. ~ Steve

“Here’s the latest tally of the four key metrics we’ve been following:

Goal 1: A two-week drop in cases as measured by the 14-day running average, which would indicate that the virus is not spreading.

Have we met this goal? No.

The two-week average of new cases started rising in July and while there are signs it may be starting to decline again, as of this writing it is 28 cases per day, the same point it was July 23.

Goal 2: Fewer than four new cases per 100,000 people each day, or 54 new cases a day, which would show that the disease is below dangerous levels.

Have we met this goal? Yes, easily: we are barely seeing half that level of new cases.

Goal 3: Conducting at least 150 PCR tests, which spot current COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people each day. New Hampshire has 1.35 million people, so that works out to 2,000 tests per day.

Have we met this goal? Yes.

The average number of test results were reported each day rose to 2,700 last week, with almost 3,800 reported on Aug. 12, one of the highest numbers ever. However, the number of people being tested is much lower because multiple tests can be given to individuals working in health care.

Goal 4: A positive rate of PCR tests below 5%, indicating that the virus is not spreading rapidly in the general population.

Have we met this goal? Yes.

As measured by the Department of Health and Human Services, the positive rate has been around 3% for more than two months.”

9 of 10 COVID patients in N.H. have recovered – but what does that mean?

State health officials give advice to school nurses preparing for COVID-19

Questions raised whether siblings of symptomatic students should stay home

https://www.wmur.com/article/state-health-officials-give-advice-to-school-nurses-preparing-for-covid-19/33836545

Coronavirus Outbreak From Maine Wedding Spreads To Jail, Rehabilitation Center

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/28/907056812/coronavirus-outbreak-from-maine-wedding-spreads-to-jail-rehabilitation-center

Bedford Riddle Brook Elementary School student tests positive for COVID-19

https://www.wmur.com/article/bedford-riddle-brook-elementary-school-student-tests-positive-for-covid-19/33844316

N.H. court data shows more victims are seeking legal protections after stay-at-home order lifts

https://www.concordmonitor.com/NH-Judicial-Branch-data-remote-filing-DV-and-stalking-petitions-35466848

NH nursing homes to get $11.4M in federal money, but trade group wants much more

https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/national/nh-nursing-homes-to-get-11-4m-in-federal-money-but-trade-group-wants-much/article_d58528bb-31d4-5f3b-a476-aebafc2f0623.html?block_id=695277

Rockingham County nursing home chief, nursing director on leave amid investigation

https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/local/rockingham-county-nursing-home-chief-nursing-director-on-leave-amid-investigation/article_472afcee-e5e3-5945-8010-57be55d1b5af.html?block_id=695277

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – August 31st, 2020

On Sunday, August 30, 2020, DHHS announced 9 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 7,254 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 five individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 44% being female and 56% being male. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (3), Rockingham (3), Merrimack (1), and Belknap (1) counties, and in the city of Manchester (1).