New Hampshire Coronavirus 'Spring Surge' More Like A Slow Build

CONCORD, NH — Health officials in New Hampshire have feared what they have termed a "spring surge" in coronavirus cases and that fear, according to the latest data, appears to be coming to fruition.

During the past two days, another 854 new positive cases including 141 children were reported by state health officials after about 20,000 tests were administered on Friday and Saturday. About two-thirds of the new infections were found via polymerase chain reaction tests and slightly more than half were female.

The state said 3,731 people in New Hampshire are infected with the virus — about 70 percent more than four weeks ago when cases began bottoming out after the fall and holiday surges.

In the data, no one reason appears to be responsible for the new infections beyond consistent community transmission in both outbreak settings and between those infected with the virus and those who are not. There have also been slight increases in both college and university and K-12 school settings — which rose to over 225 cases on Sunday.

Most of the new cases live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua — 218, while 205 live in Rockingham County, 74 live in Merrimack County, and 57 live in Nashua. About 52 cases have undetermined residency. Fifteen communities in New Hampshire have more than 50 active cases: 351 in Manchester, 301 in Nashua, Dover has 116, and Durham has 114. Hudson is reporting 99 cases and 96 in Portsmouth while Concord has 86, Pelham is at 85, Salem has 83, Derry is 80, and Londonderry and Merrimack are at 76. Rochester, the state said, has 67, while Bedford and Somersworth have 53 each. The state said Hampton has 43 infections and Amherst has 36 cases while Milford has 31, Windham has 30, Exeter has 23, and North Hampton has 18.

Another four people died during the past two days due to or related to COVID-19, according to the state.

The fatalities included a man from Cheshire County, two women from Hillsborough County, and one woman from Rockingham County. Two were connected to long-term care settings while three were 80 years of age or older and one was in the 70 to 79 age group.

The state said 1,249 people have died about 1.45 percent of all cases.

Recoveries have slipped to 94.2 percent of all cases — 80,866 while hospitalizations have inched up to 87. More than half the state's residents have been tested — 50.1 percent via more than 1.94 million tests administered.

Colleges and universities in New Hampshire have 125 active cases with nearly half, 60, at UNH in Durham. Dartmouth College in Hanover has 18 cases while Plymouth State University, Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, and Keene State College have eight cases each. Franklin Pierce University in Rindge has five cases and Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth has two. Granite State College in Concord, New England College in Henniker, Manchester Community College, Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NHTI, Concord's community college, Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, Rivier University in Nashua, and Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack each have one case.

In the K-12 school setting in New Hampshire, there are 226 cases. Schools with active cases in Patch communities include Portsmouth High School with seven cases; Souhegan Coop High School in Amherst with five; three cases at Salem High School and Ross A. Lurgio Middle School in Bedford; two cases at Merrimack High School, Londonderry Senior High School, and Londonderry Middle School; and single cases at World Academy in Nashua, Windham High School, Thorntons Ferry School in Merrimack, St. Paul's School in Concord, St. Joseph Regional Catholic School in Salem; St. Christopher Academy in Nashua, South Merrimack Christian Academy in Merrimack, Salem preschool, Rundlett Middle School in Concord, the New Franklin School in Portsmouth, Nashua High School, Merrimack Middle School, McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford, the Little Harbor School in Portsmouth, the Ledge Street School in Nashua, the Jacques Memorial Elementary School in Milford, the Hampton Centre School, the Great Bay Charter School in Exeter, the Golden Brook Elementary School in Windham, the Gate city Charter School for the Arts in Merrimack, the Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, the Dr. Norman W. Crisp School in Nashua, the Clark-Wilkins Elementary School in Amherst, the Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Concord, the Broken Ground Elementary School in Concord, the Broad Street Elementary School in Nashua, Bedford High School, and the Academy for Science and Design Charter School in Nashua.

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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 a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to not go out to 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.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Schools, Employers, Employees, and Businesses (Can your employer force you to get the vaccine? It depends).

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Healthcare Providers and Public Health Partners

• Guidance to schools can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 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.
• To access the state's COVID-19 data dashboard, click on this link here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 Interactive Map Dashboard, click on this link here.

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