Quality Assurance Checks Leads To Coronavirus Data Changes In NH

CONCORD, NH — Quality assurance checks and confirmations on deaths that were not previously reported are affecting data released concerning coronavirus in New Hampshire.

During the past two days, new positive infections and deaths have changed due to older counts added to the daily totals. On Thursday, as an example, the state reported seven new deaths due to or related to COVID-19. Four of the deaths, however, "occurred earlier in 2021 and were recently confirmed as related to COVID-19," the state said. Other deaths a few weeks ago were also included in the daily fatality count even though they were not recent.

Of the seven fatalities, one was 80 years of age or older, three were between 70 and 79, two were between 60- and 69-years-old, and one was in the 50 to 59 age bracket.

The state said 1,245 deaths are attributed to COVID-19 or 1.46 percent of all infections.

During the past 48-hours, 843 new infections were reported by the state including 148 children. Of those cases, 86 were added to the case count in Friday's numbers from previous reports.

"These cases were identified during data quality assurance activities and are from October 2020 through March," the State Joint Information Center said.

Of the new cases, 226 live in Hillsborough County outside of Nashua, 183 reside in Rockingham County, 84 live in Nashua, and 78 live in Merrimack County. The state is investigating 18 cases to find out where they live.

Most of the new cases were female. The state said there are 3,345 active cases. There are 85 people in the hospital, 85,010 accumulative cases, and 80,420 recoveries, about 94.6 percent of cases. About 49.9 percent of the state's population has been tested via more than 1.92 million tests.

Colleges and universities have 117 active cases including 53 at UNH in Durham, 17 at both Saint Anselm College in Goffstown and Dartmouth College in Hanover, nine people at Plymouth State University, and seven at Keene State College are positive while four at Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, three at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, and one each at NHTI, Concord's community college and Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester are infected.

There are 199 cases connected to K-12 schools in New Hampshire including five cases at Merrimack High School; three cases at Souhegan Coop High School in Amherst, Portsmouth High School, and Salem High School; two at the Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, St. Christopher Academy in Nashua, and Windham High School; and one case at Gate City Charter School for the Arts in Merrimack, St. Paul's School in Concord, Londonderry Senior High School, Ledge Street School in Nashua, Great Bay Charter School in Exeter, Hampton Centre School, Hampton Academy, Clark-Wilkins School in Amherst, Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Concord, Nashua High School, and Ross A. Lurgio Middle School in Bedford.

150K Sign Up For Vaccines In 1 Week

Nearly 150,000 Granite Staters registered during the past week for COVID-19 vaccines.

About 42,000 signed up on Friday after the 16-plus registration process opened up. So far, more than 460,000 first doses have been administered while around 233,000 people are fully vaccinated.

"This was a historic week here in New Hampshire that marks an incredible milestone in our fight against COVID-19, with nearly 150,000 vaccination appointments scheduled in a single week," Gov. Chris Sununu said. "The light at the end of the tunnel is well within sight. The COVID-19 vaccine is our shot to get back to normal, and we encourage all Granite Staters to do their part and sign up for an appointment today."

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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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